Arkham Angel
by Kerayzie
Summary: Jess starts treating the Joker.New to Arkham she soon realises the patients are the least of her worries, someone is trying to ruin her in every way possible.In a situation only a miracle can solve will she be brave enough to trust a clown? COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I have nothing to with Batman. Any characters associated with the Batman universe do not belong to me.

This story is set a few years after The Dark Knight and takes place primarily in Arkham Asylum. It incorporates mainly my own characters with the exception of essential main characters from Batman (mainly The Joker). This story will **not **be suitable for children due to the use of language, violence and possible sexual content. I have an awful lot of ideas for this story so please bear with me.

One more thing, my Joker is Heath Ledger's version…obviously! Hehe, please enjoy….and review!

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**The New Kid**

"Great," Jess sighed heavily as her eyes made their way over the brown casefile in her hands. "I guess this is what he meant by 'in at the deep end'!"

The young doctor brushed her blonde hair from her eyes and nodded at the guard beside the door. The man smiled at her raising his eyebrows sympathetically as she pushed her way into the room. Closing the door firmly behind her she paused for a moment to take stock of her new patient.

Bound in a straightjacket the man sat perfectly still staring blankly at the desk before him. Jess approached the table slowly and sat down rather uncomfortably in the archetypal waiting room plastic chair. Crossing her legs she placed the brown file infront of her. The man never moved. Sitting for a moment in complete silence she finally sat forward and rested her hands lightly on the table.

"My name is Doctor Cunningham, I am taking over from Doctor Brightside as your psychologist." Again the man didn't move. "I just want to clarify a few things with you before we get started on your therapy if that's ok with you," she added opening the man's notes and scanning through the various drugs he had been administered recently. "This is ridiculous, how in the world do they expect me to treat you if they're going to give you this stuff? When are they going to realise that pumping people full of sedatives does not solve the problem? Damn psychiatrists!"

Finding a blank page in the file she hastily wrote a note of recommendation stating that all medication be withheld from the man until she could properly diagnose him. After signing the paper she once again sat back in her chair and simply watched her patient breathing silently.

Half an hour must have passed before Jess decided that she would have to attend to her other patients and she called the guard. "Hey, can you come in here a minute please?"

"Ma'am?"

"Can you please take him back to his cell and inform the consultant psychiatrist that I wish all medication to be temporarily postponed. Thankyou." She handed the guard the file and left the room.

What the hell was all that about? Jesus, she knew the Chief Medical Officer had said she would be thown in at the deep end but she hadn't quite anticipated that. It was her first day in the job here at Arkham and she had already been allocated as the treating psychologist to one of the most disturbed men in the place. Of course she had known that working here would be hard but she certainly hadn't expected to be given the Joker as one of her patients. She hadn't expected that whatsoever.

Sighing she swiped her keycard allowing her access to the dayroom and made her way to her new office. She smiled at some of the patients and nodded to another guard as she crossed the room.

"Hey there," he smiled, "you're the new kid then?"

She didn't appreciate his words, "Yes I'm the new psychologist, Doctor Cunningham."

"Max," he held out his hand to her. "You're replacing the old guy right? Pity about what happened to him. Did they tell you how he went?"

"I heard he died,"

"Yeah, they found him in one of the segregation cells with his throat…well you get the idea,"

"Really? Who…?"

"Did it? They reckon it was Jimmy Bowe. He's in isolation at the moment for his own protection. If you're taking over from the old fella then he's probably on your list. I'd be careful if I was you."

"Thanks for your concern but I'm more than capable of taking care of myself and I'm sure I'll be fine," she smiled as she walked away from him and closed the door of her office. At this moment in time she didn't really care for horror stories created for her benefit. No, she had bigger things on her mind. How was she going to go about treating the Joker? Since she had been handed his file she had worried about the responsibility she had been given. After all she had only qualified as a fully licensed shrink six months ago, this was a huge case to take on. Not only that but she knew damn well that she was being monitored and assessed on her every decision. God, how she wanted her probationary period to end so that she could stop worrying about what everyone else thought of her.

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The door slammed shut and he heard the hard click of the lock as he was once again left with his thoughts in his own personal padded hospital 'suite'.

"Ahhh," the tightly bound man groaned as his body hit the dirty floor. Although the small room was padded it was surprisingly hard and it never ceased to amaze the Joker just how forceful the orderlies could be in this place. He lay still for a moment before attempting to pull his knees up beneath him so as to eventually sit up. Shuffling across the hard material he wedged himself against the wall and sat rather uncomfortably hunched over himself.

Silently the Joker listened to the screams and cries filtering through the airvent from elsewhere in the hospital. He tried to visualise the people making the desperate noises and what was happening to them. During the three years he had been incarcerated here he had seldom left this room and entertainment was hard to find. Even so most patients had to share a 'cell' and so he felt somewhat privileged to have a whole room to his self. Admittedly it came with too much not-so-soft furnishings but at least he didn't have to put up with some whining schizo claiming the voices made them 'do it'. How he hated people who didn't take responsibility for their own actions.

He had been surprised when the orderlies had dragged him to his feet earlier in the day and strapped him to a wheelchair. It wasn't often he received visitors and since the old git Brightside had been removed from this life the Joker hadn't expected to ever be taken from his dark cell again. After all with no doctor to treat him they had an excuse to just leave him in here to rot away with the furnishings.

Alas, it was not to be and as he had complied to be forced into the chair and firmly strapped down he had wondered what poor soul had been handed his files.

"Pretty," he whispered to himself as he vaguely remembered the new face from the treatment room. He sat for a few minutes attempting to ease an itch on his ear by rubbing it against his shoulder and felt his eyes becoming increasingly intolerant of being awake. He was usually asleep by now and having missed his meds for the day his body was slowly but surely waking to everything around it. The female doctor had said something about stopping his medication; this was her doing and a couple more days like this and he may even be able to string a sentence together. He liked the way she thought, maybe he would be able to work with this one.

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"What the hell do you think you're doing Dr Cunningham?" the door almost came off of its hinges as the Chief Psychiatrist burst through waving a brown file erratically infront of his face. "Are you out of your mind? You've not even been here a day yet and you're advising that we stop medicating the Joker! You should have talked this through with me first!"

"I would have but I had other things to deal with at the time,"

"Really? So when exactly were you going to make time? You are aware that you can't make decisions like that without first consulting me?"

Jess sat back in her chair and threw her pen on the table, "Yes I am aware of that Doctor, and I apologise. But how can you expect me to do my job when the man can't even speak? Just because I deal with mind and not the brain it doesn't mean that I haven't got the medical knowledge that is required of a psychiatrist. I have studied medicine as well as therapy and he doesn't need all of the drugs that he has been prescribed. Infact, I'm surprised he's still breathing considering the pharmaceutical cocktail he been given!"

The superior doctor slammed the file onto the desk and leaned towards her. Sighing heavily he opened the file and began to scan through the list of drugs. After a few moments he nodded slowly and began to make notes beside each of the medicines.

"You better know what you're doing Dr Cunningham. I hope I don't live to regret this, do you understand? If anything goes wrong with him on your head be it, ok?" She watched closely as the ink from him pen quickly formed his signature and he stood upright. "However, we can't just stop his treatment immediately, he'll have to be weaned off it gradually. Do you think you have the patience to wait that long to council him?"

Ignoring the sarcasm in his voice Jess smiled and tilted her head to the side, "It's not as though he's going anywhere is it?"


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Although this story is mine…any characters or places from the original DC Batman universe do not belong to me. They were created well before I was born…or even my mother for that fact!

Please let me know what you think, read and review.

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**Something Not Quite Right**

Jess looked at her watch. 10:30pm. This was ridiculous. It was almost a week since she had started working at Arkham and still she was staying late into the night to finish reports and organise Dr Brightside's previous work. The man may have been a good psychologist but his writing style left a lot to be desired.

Sitting back in her chair she stretched her legs beneath the desk and let her head fall back as she ran her fingers though her hair. Massaging her scalp she sighed and closed her eyes.

------

"Excuse me, Doctor Cunningham?"

"Huh?" startled Jess sat bolt upright in her chair and rubbed the back of her neck. "What?"

"I'm sorry if I woke you but we need you in cell 5. There's been an incident," the young orderly said in a concerned tone.

Without another thought the young doctor grabbed her jacket and left her office, hastily following the orderly through the wide corridors.

"What's happened?" Jess enquired as they approached the room in question.

"I think it best if you look for yourself," the man almost whispered stopping a few yards from the door.

Jess slowed her pace and walked assertively through the open door. She had seen some disturbing things since coming to Gotham City but the scene before her truly made her stomach turn.

Pushing her way past two nurses and the Chief Psychiatrist she came upon what could only be described as the result of a massacre. The cell had once housed two fairly reasonable patients. It was now covered with the bloody remains of one of them.

"What the hell happened?" she gasped.

"We don't know," the psychiatrist answered from behind her. "All we know is that there was a certain amount of noise in the night and this morning the nurses found the room like this."

"Didn't anyone check during the night? Aren't they supposed to do rounds?" she motioned to the nurses.

"Yes but this wing generally gets checked every hour, not every fifteen minutes. There's no-one here that needs to be checked that often. The inmates here are generally compliant and less of a danger to anyone than those, say, in isolation."

"I know that but surely if the noise was sufficient to be reported then a nurse should have checked the…"

"It's not that easy," one of the nurses piped up. "If we reacted to every noise in this place then we would never get any work done!"

"That IS your work!" Katrina snapped. "Do we know which of them this is?"

"We do. This is Ricky Moffet. His cellmate, Carl Jeffries, was found cowering in the corner of the room covered in…well…Ricky."

"Can I…?" Jess nodded towards the blood-splattered tiles.

"Of course,"

As she examined the lumps of flesh around the room she tried to hold her breath. The stench of copper in the air was so pungent that she could almost taste the blood around her.

"So what are we saying happened?" she asked cautiously without turning to face her colleague.

He paused before answering, "We don't know yet, so for the moment nothing."

"Ok," Jess started to leave.

"Oh. And Doctor?"

Jess stopped in the doorway, "Yes?"

"I suggest you start paying more attention to your patients' needs and behaviour. Carl is one of yours isn't he?"

"Yes," she was confused. How was this suddenly her fault? She turned to leave before adding, "Speaking of my patients, I want to assess the Joker today. I'd like to see how he is coping without his medication. I just thought I'd run it past you. Give you notice before I obviously put the whole of the Asylum at risk by requesting he leave his room."

"I don't appreciate your sarcasm Doctor Cunningham!"

"I don't appreciate you trying to intimidate me!" Jess quipped suprising herself. "The actions of a mental patient are not reflective of their counselling. Perhaps you should assess his medication. After all I'm not permitted to prescribe or unprescribe medication, am I? Perhaps you should keep an eye on the rest of your colleagues, not me!"

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Clutching the Joker's files in her fist Jess tried desperately to calm herself down. Her altercation with the Chief Psychiatrist earlier had left her a little shaky. It wasn't like her to react the way she had and she got the distinct feeling that she was going to have to deal with the consequences later.

She pressed her back against the wall and tried to steady her breathing before entering the room to assess her patient. Perhaps it had been the exhaustion that had made her so irritable this morning. Or perhaps it was the sensation she got everytime she had to spend time with the guy. He had a wonderful ability of making her feel so insignificant that she would almost doubt her own decisions, and that was no good. Although he wasn't actually her boss she did feel as though he was her superior and in a way felt as though he had more of a right to an opinion than she did. Perhaps he was the reason why she would spend hours in her office after her shift had ended and retype files just so that she could understand them. Why was she trying to prove herself to be a better doctor than he was?

"I don't know," Jess sighed as she entered the room. A guard stood with his back against the adjacent wall between herself and the Joker. The patient himself was sat upright bound in a straight jacket and strapped to the chair as per their last meeting. "How are you feeling?"

The restrained man lifted his head to look at her face but did not speak. His dark eyes had gained a small spark of emotion since the last time she saw him and Jess made a note of it.

"Well, at least I know you can hear me now,"

The Joker sat silently staring at her. As she sat across the table taking notes on his reactions and physical appearance he began making notes of his own- mental ones of course. He noted her hair colour, blonde, and the way she spoke. He also noted the way she moved, something wasn't right about her. Even through his slightly aching eyes he could tell she was worried about something. The last time he had seen her she had seemed so small, even to his muddled brain, but now she seemed uptight.

Was it because she was suddenly unsure of him? No, it was something else. Even so the Joker figured that he should play her little 'he doesn't need medication' game, even if only to get back to the way he was before. He had to gain her trust…somehow. He had to behave. For now.

"…any symptoms at all that you're uneasy with? Vomiting, headaches…"

While he had been lost in thought she had been talking. He thought for a moment before forcefully clearing his throat. "Yeah," it was more of a noise than a word but nonetheless the doctor wrote something down in her files.

"And?" she raised her eyebrows and almost smiled slightly.

"Errrrrrm, headaches…right in my um, right in my eyes,"

"Ok, anything else?"

The Joker cleared his throat again and tongued the scar on the right side of his mouth slowly. "Itch…itching. Everywhere!" he croaked.

"Is that it? Nothing else? No vomiting or bleeding from any part of your body?"

"No," again his tongue on his scar, "I don't know if I'm bleeding…I can't…um…cant see…" he nodded towards his restraints lazily.

Jess turned to the guard, "Have you been with him all day?"

"Since this morning,"

"Have you escorted him to the toilet?"

"Yes when I came on shift. I didn't go in with him though!"

"So you wouldn't have noticed anything with his…"

"No," the answer was short and sharp and Jess decided not to pursue the matter any further.

"I'm going to need a blood sample from you to determine what concentration of drugs is still in your system. I also need to assess your physical appearance; bruises etc. Some of the drugs you were given can have serious side affects and seeing as though you're permanently restrained in some way or another many of those side affects may have gone unnoticed. Is that ok?" she lifted her head and looked straight into the Joker's eyes.

He didn't answer immediately, instead simply held her gaze and smiled sickly at her. His intention had been to smile sweetly however his scars made that extremely difficult, he hoped that she didn't get the wrong idea and remedicate him. "Yes."

"Right," Jess smiled at herself while writing in the file before motioning towards the guard with her biro. "Could you escort him to one of the sedation chairs please? I just need to get some more staff…just incase."

"Which one?" the guard had already started to move the Joker.

"Whichever's free, I'll check where he is when I get down there. Don't allow him to go to the toilet either, we'll take a urine sample while we're at it. I'll be about half an hour; I just need to check on another patient first."

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"May I see him?"

"Of course Doctor," the portly matron opened the door to the isolation cell.

How could anyone stay in these rooms? If they weren't crazy to begin with they would gradually get there what with the dirty white tiles and tiny thirty-foot high windows. The room was almost dark and had no bed. Jess could just about make out the shape of a man huddled in the far corner of the room rocking back and forth.

"Carl? It's Doctor Cunningham, I've come to see how you are feeling,"

There was no answer, just the incessant childlike whimpering.

Jess turned her attention to the matron, "Has he been sedated?"

"Yes, he seemed ok when they first brought him down, just a little shaken. But when they started explaining why he needed isolating he just freaked out…tried bighting one of the nurses, she had to have a tetanus shot! He's been like this ever since."

"Did you remove his bed?"

"For his own safety, yes," the matron nodded and the two women made their way out into the corridor. "He kept saying something about monsters," she locked the door behind them and turned to face Jess.

"Monsters?"

"He said that it wasn't him, he said it was a clown. Said that the guy came in the middle of the night and told him not to move,"

"A clown?"

"I think it was a clown…he was screaming lots of things but I definitely remember him mentioning a clown. An evil clown. You know for the past few months I've had nothing but this crap, everyone's killing everyone else and then they send them down here. All we do is sedate them and send them back under suicide watch."

"Suicide watch? Why?"  
"It's a technicality. If word got out about the number of inmates committing murder in here they would close us down, then we'd all be out of a job! If you ask me," she lowered her voice dramatically, "I think there's something else going on."

"What do you mean?" Jess frowned, not quite understanding the woman.

"It's always been busy down here but they generally get sent here for acute observation. You know; suicide attempts and such. That's why they leave on suicide watch, to make it seem legitimate. If the police knew how many murders had taken place in here in the past six months they would investigate and then the top dogs would be under scrutiny."  
Jess still didn't understand, "So you lie about why they're down here to keep from being investigated?"  
"Yeah, it's our instructions. That's why I think there's something else going on you see? There's something not right, especially when they didn't even report Dr Brightside's death. They said he did it himself!"

"I thought his throat had been slit?"

"Precisely my point!"


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: The Joker does not belong to me.

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**A Matter of Trust**

Wearily the Joker stood upright, helped a little roughly by two guards. He allowed them to pull him into the sedation chair and strap down his ankles.

"Hold him in place while I remove his jacket," a young nurse smiled nervously at the two uniformed men. The poor girl obviously didn't want to be doing this and was inwardly quaking with fear. The Joker moistened his lips and smiled lazily at her, it didn't help. Of course that was what he had intended: to make her more nervous of being in such close to vicinity to him.

With strong hands clutching at his upper arms the Joker allowed himself to be held still while the young woman unbuckled his straightjacket. The moment the thick material had left his body the guards slammed him back into the chair and hastily secured his arms with think leather straps to either side of him. He didn't struggle or try to free himself, he didn't even speak.

In order to gain his doctor's trust he was going to have to put up with all this 'being placid and behaving' crap. But it was so hard! It had been so easy before: when he was so heavily medicated that he was actually incapable of moving, let alone causing trouble. Christ, this required effort! Still, he knew he would have to endure it. He had the golden opportunity to get out of this Godforsaken place and he was not about to ruin it!

Feeling the pinprick of pain on the inside of his left elbow the Joker turned his head to watch as the syringe filled with his blood. Grinning he licked his scars and cleared his throat causing the nurse to shift her weight uneasily. She eyed him nervously and continued filling various small tubes with samples of his blood. The woman's obvious discomfort made the Joker giggle and she quickly removed the needle before ordering the glass tubes onto a tray near the door.

"Stay with him, the doctor can do the rest," the nurse smiled nervously before leaving the room.

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"Where's the nurse?" Jess questioned the two guards noting the samples of blood lined up on the tray.

"She left, she said you could do the rest,"

"Oh?" Jess noted the expression on the Joker's face; a faint glimmer of satisfaction bobbing beneath his skin. "Did she take a urine sample?" Jess picked each blood sample up and inspected the labels.

"No, I think she was a little…uneasy,"

"Why?"

The guard indicated to the Joker with a nod, "Him."

Jess moved towards the sedation chair and shook her head. "Before I can examine you I need to remove your restraints. Do you understand what that means?"

The Joker raised his left eyebrow and rolled his eyes. Licking the scar to the right of his mouth he smiled and nodded.

"I am warning you, if you make any sudden movements you will be back in that jacket before you can smile. Understand?"

He appeared to chew the inside of his cheeks before smiling, "Of course Doctor."

Jess waited for a moment studying his face before starting to unstrap his arms. As she moved around the chair Jess kept one eye on the Joker. This may have been her idea but she wasn't completely stupid. She knew damn well why he was in here and to be truly honest she wasn't quite sure why she was willing to put herself at such a risk just to assess his physical health.

"Sit up. I need you to remove your shirt,"

The Joker did as he was ordered and shakily pulled the white standard issue t-shirt over his head. As he discarded the shirt behind him Jess' eyes fell on the blue and purple marks adorning his torso. She snapped the latex gloves on her hands and started to look closer at the bruises, counting them as she did so. Ten. Each one seemed to be tender to the touch as she noted her patient flinch slightly when she pressed them.

"Who did this?" the young doctor got no answer as all three men in the room stayed silent. "Did the guards do this to you? Joker?"

The Joker inhaled deeply before licking his lips and sighing, "I, uh, I don't….I don't seem to remember." Jess noted the guards glance at one another as he answered. He rolled his eyes one again and sighed before looking straight into Jess' eyes. "You know, er, this whole…um this whole, exam, examination thing…" he waved his hands infront of himself before quickly returning them to his sides as a guard stepped forward to restrain him. Cowering slightly he continued, "Yeah, um this examination? What, er, exactly are you trying to discern about me?"

Jess leaned towards him and listened to his heartbeat, then his lungs through a stethoscope. "I want to know exactly how healthy you are and whether or not the drugs you were given had any adverse effects on your body. I told you this before," she breathed as she noted his pulse rate and clarity of his breathing in his files. "Have you been out of your cell recently?"

"When you say recently…?"

"Other than our little sessions," she turned back to him.

"Er…let me see, _nooo,"_ the Joker purred. "Why, did I miss something?"

Jess shook her head and turned her attention to the guards, "Would you give me a moment with my patient please?" The two men frowned in disbelief and looked at one another. "What's the worst he can do? Really? So far he's been as quiet as a lamb and made no attempt to harm me. You can wait by the door."

"We can't leave you alone with him Ma'am, he's…"

The Joker nodded his head from side to side slowly and mouthed the word 'insane'. Jess couldn't help but smile slightly as he caught her line of sight and smiled sickly.

"Ah, I suppose you're right. Maybe I'm going a little fast for my own good. I guess I've done everything I need to for now. You can put your shirt back on Jo…What should I call you?"

The Joker frowned, glanced to either side and shrugged while sucking the inside of his lips, "What do you wanna call me?"

Jess sighed and stared at the man. He simply raised his eyebrows and smiled back at her. "Well, for a start I don't think that referring to you as a playing card is doing anything for your mental health. Seeing as though we have no record of your real name then I guess I'll call you Joe."

"Hmm," the Joker pondered this for a moment before raising his arms and sighing, "I guess that's ok." He pouted his lips and slowly ran his tongue over the lower one before smiling at her and frowning. "What? No Jacket?"

"No, I think it'll do you good to go without it for a while. Take him back to his cell, and see that he gets no more bruises. If he does, there will be an investigation. I assume you can pass that message to the rest of the security team?"

"Ma'am, how are we supposed to transport him?"

"The same way you brought him here. Is there something wrong?"

The two guards looked first at her and then at the Joker. "I guess not. You are certain that he's safe to be unrestrained?"

"Yes. I think it best for his own safety. I'm concerned about the bruises on his ribs and I'm willing to take the blame if he causes any type of problems."

As the three men left the room Jess watched as the Joker turned back to look at her. A devious grin spread literally from ear to ear as he was bundled into the corridor. She hoped to God that she was right. The bruises on his ribs were pretty recent and could only have come from him being kicked hard. It was unlikely a nurse or an orderly would risk getting so close to the guy to attack him so she could only conclude that it had been the guards. Maybe not the two who had just left her now but they had seemed a little nervous when she asked the Joker about his injuries.

It had only been a week since his medication was stopped but already Jess had noticed a big difference in his personality. Even today he had changed in mood and attitude. This morning he had still seemed a little displaced and not all together interested in anything. But the last forty five minutes had shown her a totally different side to him.

"Shit!" Jess suddenly remembered the urine sample she had requested from him. The bruises had distracted her and she had forgotten to ask him for it.

Maybe this was an opportunity for her to get him on his own. She had wanted to ask him about the incident with Ricky Moffett and Carl Jefferies but had decided against it when the guards wouldn't leave. After her conversation with the Matron in the segregation ward Jess could barely think of anything else all day. Carl had said something about a clown which obviously put the Joker in the picture but how would he get out of his cell? Not only that but how would he then break into another cell without being caught just to dismember another patient? Surely he would have been seen?

"A clown," she said quietly to herself gathering his samples of blood. "But that would imply the guy looked like a clown…how would he get the make-up?"

Something was seriously wrong in this place and it seemed that the Joker always got the blame. He was an easy target; unable to defend himself both physically and vocally. Jess had a feeling that she had set some kind of ball rolling. She wasn't sure what it was but the feeling that everything wasn't quite what it seemed was becoming increasingly intense. She had to speak to him on his own. A missing urine sample was the perfect excuse. She just had to time it right. This was important.

"He may be crazy but I am not going to sit back while my patient takes the blame for someone else's crimes!" with that she closed the door and started towards the laboratory to deliver the blood. 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own the Joker or anything else from the Batman universe.

Thanks to those of you who have reviewed. Your opinions mean a lot to me, I like to know people are taking my story. Things are going to get a bit more interesting soon, I'm just trying to work out how to logically get to that point without ruining the story so please bear with me. ; ) Thanks. Hope you're all enjoying it so far.

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**Rules Are There To Be Broken**

Jess glanced at the large clock mounted on her office wall. 7:45pm. It was almost time for the shift change, nurses and security guards alike. This would be her only chance to speak to the Joker alone. Tapping the end of her pencil on the notepad infront of her she mentally planned her list of questions. Did he know about the deaths in the hospital? Did he know who had died? Etc. etc. This was going to be hard, she knew that, but she had to start somewhere. Surely a man who had barely left his cell for three years must have heard rumours and therefore had to know something. It was clear not only from his files but from her recent conversations with the man that he was indeed an intelligent person.

Placing the pencil on the desk she pulled a urine sample pot out of a drawer and started out of the door. She had barely taken three steps before she was stopped.

"Evening Doctor…Cunningham was it?"

"Yes. Max, right?" Jess smiled recognising the guard.

"Yeah. Don't you ever go home?"

The blonde doctor laughed, "I'm beginning to think that this is my home!"

"I feel sorry for the poor guy waiting at home for you! He must think he's done something wrong!"

"Ah, there is no guy waiting at home for me. Just a dark apartment on the wrong side of town. To be honest sometimes I feel safer in here!"

"Nah, a girl like you shouldn't worry. You're just the kind of victim the Batman loves to save. You'd be fine."

Jess smiled and lifted the plastic beaker in her hand. "I'd love to talk a little longer but the damn nurse forgot to take a sample earlier and it has to be done before tomorrow morning. I really have to get it before I go."

"Sure, don't let me stop you doing your job Doctor. Which wing is the…?"

"D Wing,"

"Wow, you're going alone? You do know that's where all the total psychos go right? I'll walk with you. "

The small voice in the back of her mind was screaming at her to refuse his offer of an escort but Jess heard herself accept it. Idiot! How the hell was she going to get to him now?

"So, would you think me cheeky if I asked how come there's no Mr Doctor at home?" Max asked coyly.

Jess was a little taken aback by the question and wasn't quite sure whether or not she should answer it. Finally, "I just never found the right guy."

The guard smiled at her as he held a heavy door open for her. Grateful for the help she returned the gesture at the next security point. Swiping her keycard she entered the main hallway of D Wing. Turning to thank Max for his assistance she noted the layout of the cells on the floor plan attached to the wall.

"If you tell me who you're wanting it might be quicker, this is my wing," Max tilted his head to one side.

_'Shit!'_ "I'm fine, but thanks," she started to walk away from him to the far end of the hallway observing the names written beside each door. D Wing was similar to the Isolation and Segregation wards in its purpose, with the only difference being that the patients kept in these cells were kept in them permanently. Not all the cells were padded but all were single occupancy only. Every patient here was deemed to be a risk to themselves and others. The Joker was one of them.

It had been a bold move on Jess' part to allow the Joker to return to his room without a straight jacket and as she felt her heart beating harder and faster she realised that she was kind of regretting that decision. Maybe this was a bad idea? Many of the patients in the wing belonged to other psychologists and the majority of them had been certified untreatable and were simply drugged up to high heavens to save the staff the trouble of actually having to deal with them. Jess could feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing to attention as she listened to the shrieks and howls emitted from the various doors.

Each door had a small unbreakable window so that the staff could accurately assess a patient before entering the room. Jess knew that she was being watched from the other end of the hallway. She knew Max was keeping an eye on her. Not only him, there were two nurses and an orderly positioned at the nurses' station and she could feel their eyes burning into the back of her coat.

Finally reaching the Joker's cell Jess stopped and glanced back towards her observers and nodded. She approached the door cautiously and peered through the glass. The room was dark and not very big. She could see the various shadows of the padding crisscrossing the walls and floor and at the far end the dark shape of a man leaning against the material watching her. Deciding he was far enough away to warrant not being a threat she unlocked the door and pulled it open.

As the light from the hallway flooded into the dark room the Joker raised his head and grinned. Jess lifted the beaker and spoke to him, "The nurse didn't get a urine sample from you. I need you to give me one now."

The Joker looked down at his knees and licked his lips quickly, "You didn't, er, you didn't say please. **No,** no you didn'**t**. You didn't say **please**."

"Please?" Jess sighed as she heard footsteps behind her.

"Oh? I get it. Yes I do. **Yes. I. Do.** You just wanted to um, you just wanted to see me. Right?"

"Need some help Doctor?" Max asked from beside her.

"No, I'm fine. He's just going to give me his sample aren't you Joe?"

"Joe? What, you're on first name terms with this…freak?"

Jess watched as her patient's face changed as he observed the man at her side. He had seemed pretty jovial but in a split second that humour had been misted over by a look of severe distaste. His previously cheeky expression had been hardened into a cold, hard stare.

"I would thank you not to refer to my patient as a freak. He is man, just like you…he's just a little…"

"Crazy?"

"I'm not. No…I'm no**t,**" the Joker sat inspecting his mouth with his tongue, staring at Max.

"Misguided," Jess finished. "He's ok. I don't think that he's a direct danger to people, that's why I advised we remove he straight jacket."

Max shook his head in disbelief as Jess moved further into the room and handed the sitting man the sample pot. "You're making a mistake," he offered. "He's a psychopath! A murderer!"

"They're _all_ psychopaths officer. That's why they're in here. I suggest you change your attitude and remember that _**I**_ am his doctor _**not you**_!"

The uniformed man was obviously taken a little by surprise at her sudden outburst and started back out the door. "You'll regret giving him room to breathe _Doctor_. And when he proves me right don't expect any sympathy from me."

Jess stood for a moment in silence as she convinced herself not to follow the guard and give him a proper dressing down. Who the hell did he think he was? How dare he try to tell her how to do her job? Taking a deep breath the young woman tried to steady her heartbeat before it burst through her ribcage. She stood watching the Joker as he played with the beaker in the palms of his hands.

"I get the feeling that this isn't all that you wanted me for Doctor," he tipped his head to one side and raised an eyebrow.

"I wanted to speak to you alone," she answered him. "But it'll wait until our first real session. You appear to have made a dramatic improvement since we stopped your medication and I'm going to recommend that we start your psychotherapy as soon as possible."

The Joker grinned at her. He knew he had been right about her. This was going to be so easy. All he had to do now was behave himself. No trouble, no chaos. That bit was going to be hard. Especially considering all the fragile minds there were in this place; so many people he could use. That would have to wait.

"Diagnosis pending I'll see if I can get you off this wing. Get you a room with a bed," Jess peered around the padded room. How could anybody stay in here permanently? In most first world countries this would be considered torture. How the hell were they getting away with it here? She knew he was a dangerous criminal but she hardly thought it necessary to lock him in here twenty four hours a day, every day.

------

Urine sample in hand Jess made her way to the security door near the nurses' station. Nodding a goodbye to the medical staff she blanked Max and ensured the door closed firmly behind her as she left. Walking along the corridor it occurred to Jess the security precautions that were set in place to ensure all patients were contained. There was no way that the Joker could have killed Ricky Moffett. Not only had it been a ridiculous notion from the beginning but it was totally unrealistic to assume that the man could have escaped from D Wing. It was impossible. So who the hell _had_ murdered him? It was more likely to have been Carl but he had no history of delusions or hallucinations, so where had the idea of a clown in his room come from? More to the point why was she obsessed with the whole thing? Why should it matter so much to her? The Matron had a lot to answer for, it was her who had put the conspiracy theory in her head and now Jess just couldn't get rid of it.

"Doctor! Wait, please?" Jess heard Max bellow down the hallway. "I just want to apologise, for my attitude. I am sorry," he panted as he ran to her. "I really am sorry, I was just worried for your safety. It's my job to ensure the patients don't escape or attack staff. I'm sorry if I offended you."

"It wasn't me you offended. Speaking about a patient in the manner that you did could have really had a bad affect on them. I'm only glad that he doesn't have an inferiority complex or we could have another death on our hands."

"I know. And again, I apologise," he paused for a moment before bighting the bullet. "I was wondering, if you would like to join me for dinner one night…a real apology. I do feel really bad about what I said and I would really like to make it up to you Doctor Cunningham. Please?"

"I appreciate the offer but I'm sorry, I can't. Besides, there are rules about relationships in the workplace,"

"I know, but surely you agree that some rules are just meant to be broken? Besides, it wouldn't be a date; just a dinner…and apolo…"

"I'm sorry, but the answer is still no Max. I can do without the stress," Jess smiled as she walked away from him. She knew he was watching her as she left him standing alone wanting the ground to swallow him whole. She didn't know, however, the way his eyes were boring holes into the back of her skull as he silently cursed her as an ungrateful bitch!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own the Joker.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. I'm glad you stuck with it even though some of you were a little impatient, but as I promised here is where the fun begins!!

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**End of the Game**

It was a couple of months since Jess had ordered all restraints to be removed from the Joker and so far nothing too bad had happened as a result. She had also recently managed to secure him a cell on another wing away from the padded walls of his previous room. The change had indeed appeared to do the man some good and Jess was not the only person who had noticed a distinct change in the Joker. Numerous members of staff had noted the witty remarks often escaping his room and although nervous many of them had stopped to observe the man's habits.

Jess' intentions had not only been for her patient's welfare but also an attempt to establish some kind of trust with him. If there was one thing that she had learned whilst training it was that a little trust goes a long way. The wait had been a long one for the young doctor but slowly she began to notice the fruits of her labours. The Chief Psychiatrist had decided to hand the Joker completely into the care of the Psychology Department. That was a big move on their part and Jess knew only too well that all eyes were on her. If she made a mistake with this man then that would be it. Her career would be over and he would be immediately strapped into a straight jacket and thrown back into the padded room on D Wing. The young doctor was not about to let that happen.

Taking every care to fully document each and every interview and therapy session she conducted with the Joker, Jess had compiled quite a collection of cassette tapes, videos and written notes. She had allowed her superiors to oversee everything up until now but there was something niggling at the back of her mind. Due to the constant recording of interviews she had still not questioned the Joker about the rumour concerning the death of Ricky Moffett. There had hardly seemed much point in the last two weeks, however all of that was about to change.

------

Jess had woken at three thirty in the morning to the constant ringing of her cell phone. On answering the call she had been ordered to attend an emergency at Arkham concerning the Joker. Needless to say Jess rushed to the hospital immediately to be greeted by utter chaos.

"What the hell is going on?" she burst through the two-way doors to see three nurses attempting to restrain the Joker who seemed intent on trying to break every bone in his own body.

"Hold him down!" a nurse coughed as the Joker's foot collided with his ribs.

What was going on? Why was he thrashing around so violently? This was so unlike him, Jess didn't understand. Even so the blonde doctor rushed forward and pushed her patient's torso backwards onto the swaying gurney.

"Turn him over!" the nurse ordered as he prepared a syringe and expelled the air bubbles.

"What are you giving him?"

"Just something to calm him down. He'll be easier to manage then,"

"**WHAT**?" Jess bellowed at the man. "I asked 'what'?"

The man didn't answer her, instead he injected the clear liquid into the flailing Joker's buttock. Almost immediately the agitated man seemed to calm down as his muscles surrendered to the tranquiliser. As Jess quickly checked his pupils and his pulse she noticed the dark crimson stain adorning his clothes and half of his face.

"I know they blame me for that _**boy's**_ death…" slowly the Joker licked his lower lip as a cheeky grin played across his face. "I almost wish it **had** been _meeee_. But…" another pause, "bu**t**…I was quite securely…_**secure**_."

As the final word left his lips the Joker burst into a lazy fit of laughter. Jess watched as the nurse administered another injection into the Joker's other buttock and heard the change in his breathing as he passed out.

"What did you give him?" Jess marched over to the nurse and started to inspect the small vials beside the syringe. "Tell me!"

"Just the regular stuff. The first was Lorazepam, that was everyone's safety. He was a danger to everyone including himself,"

"And the second?"

"Acuphase,"

"And that knocked him out?"

"Yes, I'm sorry Doctor Cunningham but we have to get him to the Isolation ward be…"

"No, they can take him back to his cell,"

"With all due respect ma'am he has got to go to Isolation. Rules are rules; he attacked a guard. It's partly for his own safety."

"What? He did what?"

"He attacked a guard in his cell…"

"_**In his cell**_?" with every question Jess heard the increasing number of alarm bells ringing in her head. "Why the hell was a guard in his cell?"

The nurse shrugged his shoulders as the sleeping man was strapped to the gurney and wheeled away. Jess wanted to go with her patient but something made her feet stay rooted to the spot.

"I heard the guard had his throat cut from behind," a second nurse offered.

Jess was horrified. Of course she knew the Joker was capable of such an atrocity but what reason would he have to do it? What had she missed?

"Fuck!" she whispered to herself. "I'm assuming…"

"Dead at the scene. Do you need anything else Doctor Cunningham?"

Jess almost didn't hear the question and could only manage a feeble moan as she shook her head. Breathing deeply she decided to go to the Joker's cell. She had to see what he had done.

------

"I told you this would happen!" Max stood in the doorway blocking her route into the Joker's cell.

"Let me through," Jess demanded when the guard made no attempt to move.

"I said let me through!"

"I hope you're happy, we've lost a good man here tonight because of you!"

"Because of me? Don't you train your men to abide by the rules? You know, the ones where they are told that under no circumstances **whatsoever **should a security guard enter a patient's room without consent from a doctor? Oh wait a minute, you like to break rules don't you?" Jess spat at him. Her words came like venom and with every second that passed she could feel herself becoming more and more angry. "I told you before Officer, I don't appreciate your attitude. Now move!"

Max stepped to the side and Jess held her hand to her mouth as she took in the sight before her.

"What did he do it with?"

Max held up a clear plastic bag. Inside it was a small shard of glass no bigger than Jess' thumb. One end was sharp and the whole thing was covered in blood. She turned back to the room. There was no real sign of a disturbance except for the crimson arc running up the far wall and onto the ceiling. Jess watched as small drops of what she assumed to be the guard's blood fell onto the terracotta tiles of the floor.

"Why did the officer come into this cell?" she turned to face Max. He didn't answer. "Officer? Why? You seem to be awfully quick to offer your opinion when I don't want it so why so quiet now?"

"I don't know, I wasn't here. This isn't my wing."

"So why are you here now?" the young woman pushed past him.

"If you hadn't taken him out of…"

"_Your wing_?"

Max stopped. Jess stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. A few moments passed before she concluded that she was wasting her time. The guard simply stared back at her coldly. There was something in his eyes that unnerved Jess. Something a little under the surface that she couldn't quite make out.

"I don't like you Officer. I don't like what you seem to think you are. You appear to have the impression that what you say goes. Well I am telling you now: your opinion doesn't matter in here. You're here to keep people safe. That does not mean that you can make decisions regarding patients and their treatment. You are not a doctor and if you insist on trying to intimidate me to your way of thinking I will make sure that you no longer work here! Do you understand?"

The uniformed man approached her slowly. With his face close to hers he whispered gruffly, "I'm not the one who's going to be losing my job over this…_Doctor_."

As the harsh words registered in her mind Jess felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand to attention as a cold chill ran up her spine. She turned to look at Max but he had already moved away and was now talking to the Chief of Medicine and pointing in her direction. Jess stared coldly at him and crossed the distance between them.

"Doctor Cunningham, Officer Gray seems to think you need to calm down. Would you like…?"

"Sir, I am fine. I'm just a little shocked about this,"

"That's understandable. I suggest you go back home and try to get some rest. We can deal with this then,"

"There's nothing to deal with sir. The deceased officer disregarded important safety measures and this is what happened. You cannot blame the Joker, the guard should not have been in his cell. Now would you please excuse me? I have to go check on my patient,"

With that Jess left the two men in the hallway and made her way to the Isolation ward. She had to speak to the Joker. She had to speak to him now!

------

It was a couple of hours before the Joker finally came to and Jess was waiting. Finally she had a chance to talk to him alone without tape recorders or witnesses. His dark eyes flickered open and he struggled a little before realising that his limbs were firmly strapped to the gurney beneath him. Although quite groggy the bound man noticed the clean clothes he was wearing.

"My my, that time of year _already?_" blinking slowly he turned his head to the side to look at Jess who was sitting a few feet away from him on a plastic chair. "Helloooo beautiful."

"Don't call me that, Joe,"

"But you aaare," he grinned sleepily and licked his scars before biting his lower lip and raising his eyebrows.

"You can cut the whole puppy dog eyes too. Was it just a game to you Joe? This whole thing, was it a game?"

Feigning shyness the Joker turned away from his doctor and sighed. "It wasn't a game. It wasn't enough **fun** to be a game**.**" He turned back to face her and moistened his lips again. "No! Not _nearly _enough fuuun. You see, a guy like me…can't just…a guy like me can't sit back and keep quiet. **No, **a guy like me can't just let everyone **else** um, er, run around playing their silly little games of cops and, ha, robbers. You knew, you knew didn't you? My little Jester knew didn't she? You knew, uh, that it wasn't, um, it wasn't me."

"What did you just call me?"

"_Jester_**.** What? You don't like that either? You know you _reeeally _oughta be more careful about who you put your tru**st **in**to**. There are some real weirdos in this place! Ha ha, had any trouble sleeping recently Doc?"

"No, why?"

"Huh, I have. Your little _friend?_ The guard, **Max.** He has a _**real **_problem with you doesn't he?"

"I don't know Joe, does he?"

"Ahhh I'm tired of that name now. We've done with that game. You see, Jester…"

"Jester?"

"Well, you didn't _actually_ say I **couldn't** call you _tha__**t**__._ I just um, I just thought it was kinda nice. What with your name an' all,"

"How do you know my name?"

"Ha! Wanna know why I did it?" he stared straight into Jess' eyes and smiled. "Huh? I'll tell you," he licked his scars again and continued. "I didn't _want___to u**se** you. I _had_ to use you. They, ah, they said I killed a boy. I didn'**t**. No, that…that wasn't…that wasn't meee. I **did **however…I _**did**_ kill the guard." The Joker saw the look of unease wash over his shrink's face. Pouting he continued, "How er, how else was I supposed to prove it wasn't me?" he shrugged.

"You killed him to prove that you _didn't _kill Ricky Moffett? What in the world inspired you to do that?"

Rolling his eyes the Joker shook his head and wet his lips once more, "You ask so many questions my little Jester."

"Stop with the stupid names!"

"Why? After all, aaahh…after all, you _were_ a willing…ah…accomplice. Ha ha,"

"You _do_ realise that you're going back to D Wing when they release you from here?"

"Guess your little 'man in a uniform' has been missing me. Hehe. Oh how I've missed his…ahem, nightly visits," the Joker grinned wildly. "You know…you know tha**t **_**man**_ has one hell of a kic**k**! I'd watch him if _**I**_were _**you**_."

Jess stood up to leave. "I'm not giving up on you Joker. You're not insane, we both know that."

As she opened the door and threw the chair into the hallway the Joker laughed behind her. "_Joker_? I thought you refused to refer to me as a _**playing card**_? Why the sudden change of heart my little Jester?"

She scowled at him from the doorway, "I've finally realised that everything you have done has had a point. The part I had to play in you little charade may have just been a joke but you the whole thing did have a point. I figure the least I can do is give you credit for that. Oh, one more thing…why so violent?"

"Why so _serious_?"


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own the Joker.

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**Beyond Reasonable Doubt**

Jess allowed the telephone to ring three times before finally lifting the receiver and pressing it to her ear. Even before she heard the voice on the other end Jess knew exactly who it was calling her. She felt her stomach tie itself into a knot as the man at the other end said her name.

"Doctor Cunningham, could you please come to office as soon as possible. There is something I need to speak to you about,"

"Of course Sir," Jess rolled her eyes and replaced the handset. Holding her head in the palms of her hands she sighed heavily then removed the hairband from her ponytail and scratched her scalp. The call had been from the head of the Psychology Department and his tone hadn't sounded good. It was inevitable that he already knew about incident regarding the Joker earlier in the day and no doubt he had spoken to the Chief of Medicine about her disagreement with Max.

It was true to say that Max had really got her angry in the Joker's cell and she knew that she had reacted badly. To be honest she had been waiting for the repercussions of her actions all day. However that wasn't the only thing she was worrying about. As she locked the office door behind her she couldn't stop the Joker's voice invading her mind. Over and over again the sentence replayed;

_"After all, aaahh…after all, you were a willing…ah…accomplice."_

He was right, she had played a pretty big part in his plan. After all if she hadn't recommended the removal of his medication and restraints none of this would have ever happened. Never the less there was nothing she could do about it now. So taking a deep breath and brushing her hair behind her ears Jess started on her way to her superior's office.

------

"Come in," the voice acknowledged her knuckles rapping on the door. "Please take a seat, I'll just be a moment."

Jess waited for the bearded man to finish scrawling something on a notepad before placing his pen on the desk and removing his glasses. Resting his elbows on the desk he leaned forward and cleared his throat.

"I'm glad you came so quickly Doctor Cunningham, I want to get this sorted as soon as possible. I asked you here because I have received a complaint about your recent behaviour,"

"May I ask who made the complaint?"

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you that doctor the person who logged the complaint is entitled to anonymity,"

"Sorry, I understand Sir," Jess sat back in the chair and rested her hands on her lap.

The superior doctor continued, "I can tell you, however, that the complaint has been made regarding your behaviour earlier today. Specifically your attitude towards another member of staff. I think you know which incident I am referring to," the bearded man smiled slightly before continuing, "You are a good doctor and a valued member of our team. As far as I am concerned you have been a 'by the book' therapist. I have examined every piece of audio and visual evidence regarding your sessions with the Joker and I have found no reason to doubt your decisions regarding his therapy. You were not to know that the incidents of the last two day were going to happen, and I'm sure the shock of what the Joker has done affected your behaviour at the time. The person who made the complaint has stated that you are to blame for the Joker's behaviour. I don't agree. I don't believe that you are at fault and as a member of my staff I will defend your actions if I have to but unfortunately I have to record this meeting as a disciplinary and it will be logged as 'first strike' on your record. I am sorry Jess, to be honest from what I have read regarding this whole incident, I think you were justified in your actions."

Jess smiled at him and met his gaze with hers, "Thank you Sir."

"However," the man continued, "the complaint will be kept on your file for the next six months. My advice would be to keep your head down and concentrate on your work. Don't take this whole thing to heart, I don't want to lose another member of my team."

"Yes Sir. I think I do know which incident the complaint may have been about and I apologise,"

"Doctor Cunningham, I would advise against dealing with this matter in any other way than I have already suggested."

"I understand. Thank you for your support Sir," Jess nodded as the palms of her hands pushed down on the arms of the chair and she stood upright. Making her way to the door Jess stopped and turned to face her superior again, "I assure you Sir, it wont happen again."

------

The key clicked in the lock as Jess shut herself away in the sanctuary of her office. Sighing she felt the ever increasing tension of a stress-induced headache building between her eyes. Dropping back into her black leather chair she allowed her long blonde hair to fall over the backrest as she turned her face up to the ceiling. Closing her eyes she slowly massaged her temples with her fingertips.

Max, the bastard! Jess was sure it was he who had made the complaint about her. Who the hell did he think he was? The man was something else. If hat the Joker had told her was true then he was definitely a dangerous person and the more she thought about the more she convinced herself he had something to do with the demise of his workmate. After all, why had he been there? When she had asked him he hadn't answered. He was such a strange man; his mood seemed to go from one extreme to another at the drop of a hat. He certainly didn't like it when she put him in his place. No, he didn't like that at all.

Jess' eyes flicked open and she stared at the white tiles above her for a couple of minutes before urging her body to manoeuvre itself to sit upright. That was when her blue eyes caught sight of the small gift-wrapped box on her desk.

"What the hell?" she leaned forward to inspect the parcel closer. "Where did you come from?"

Deducing that the box posed no threat Jess cautiously picked it up and turned it in her hands. It was no bigger in size than a CD case but was considerably deeper and carefully wrapped in good quality gold and purple paper. The top of the package was crowned with a purple paper flower and a small gold envelope. Jess removed a folded playing card from the envelope and inspected it; the Knave of Hearts. Placing the card on the desk she pulled at the paper to uncover an almost-black leather hinged box. As she opened the box Jess held her breath. What the hell was she thinking? There could be anything in this thing! Never the less it was too late now as she observed the contents of the box.

Seated in a bed of silky material rested a silver bracelet. It was a solid band of metal that tapered towards each end. The centre of the band had a word engraved on it; Jessica.

The doctor glanced around her office. She was sure she had locked the door when she left, how would anyone have got in to leave this? Why would they bring this to her? And who?

She slammed the box on the desk as she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand straight. For some strange reason she felt violated. Somebody had been in her office without her permission and that unnerved her. Since she had started her job here at Arkham she had found a certain serenity in her office. It had been a place to escape from the chaos. But now she felt just as vulnerable in here as she did out there. She didn't like this one bit. Regardless of the intention of the gift Jess felt extremely uncomfortable and decided to take it to the head of the Psychology Department. Like he said; she should keep her head down and concentrate on her work. What ever this gift represented had to be nipped in the bud immediately, she was enough trouble as it was!

------

"Sir, I've had enough of this!" Jess collapsed into the chair infront of her superior. "Every day for the last fortnight I've been finding these…things. I don't know what to do. First the bracelet, then flowers being delivered during the day, perfume, chocolates…"

"Calm down Doctor Cunningham. It would seem that you have an admirer and it doesn't really appear to be anything to worry about. Everything you've received has been…"

"You don't understand Sir, they've not just been here at the hospital. I found this at my apartment!" the shaking woman handed him a small bag. In the bag was another playing card and a dead mouse with a red ribbon around its neck. "I didn't want to say anything about the latest ones because they just seemed strange." She emptied her bag on the floor revealing an array of photos of herself shopping and eating in restaurants. Each photo had a letter written in red marker pen. "I didn't think these were anything to do with the stuff I had found at work but that mouse had a card…please, doctor, I'm convinced they're from the same person."

"Have you informed the police?"

"Yes, they said that they would look into the photos but I didn't mention the gifts,"

"Why not?"

"If I told them about the jewellery and stuff they would just put it down to some admirer trying to get my attention."  
"Well, I can understand sending a woman gifts but a dead mouse?"

"In my apartment! They know where I live Sir, they know where I live!" Jess could feel the tears welling up in her eyes and tried her absolute best to stop them from rolling down her cheeks.

"I will mention it to the head of Security, ok? They'll make sure no more deliveries make it through the gates without proof of sender. Is that ok with you for now, until we can figure out what to do next?"

"I suppose,"

"If you would like to take some…"

"No!" Jess interrupted. "I'd rather be here than at home. Please…"

The bearded man rounded the desk and placed his hand on the woman's shoulder. She was still shaking and very pale. Her usually bright eyes were dark and sullen, the blue had been replaced by a smooth grey and she appeared to have lost a little weight.

"Have you been sleeping? Eating?"

Jess didn't answer; she knew that he hadn't really needed to ask the questions, he already knew the answers. In all honesty Jess slept very rarely now. Even if she could get to sleep she was often woken by the telephone. When she would answer the line would stay completely silent.

"Would you like something to help with your nerves? I could ask Dr…"

"No! I'm fine. I'm just a little shaken that's all. It's not every day that you find a hand delivered dead rodent in your apartment. I'll be ok. Besides it would affect my work."

"Ok," the man lifted the receiver of the phone on his desk and spoke quickly to his secretary. "Send Officer Gray in please." Within moments Max entered the room and waited to be given instructions. "Officer, we appear to have a problem. Doctor Cunningham has received a number of gifts both here at the hospital and at her home. I would like you to inform the rest of the security to keep on the lookout for any members of staff who seem to be acting strangely. Keep an eye on Doctor Cunningham's office and her car for any unauthorised visitors and apprehend anyone without proper identification in within the hospital grounds. Understood?"

"Sir," Max confirmed. Turning his attention to the shaking woman he took a step forward, "We'll do all we can to help Doctor. Hopefully we'll get whoever is doing this. Believe me when I say, you can count on me. I give you my word."

Jess stared at him. He was smiling at her; at least his mouth was, his eyes were serious. Too serious.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own the Joker.

Thank you all so much for reviewing my last few chapters. It's great to know what you all think about what's happening, and I'm glad you all feel so much for Jess!

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**Take Heed**

**'Knock, knock',**

Jess lifted her head from the desk and sleepily glanced towards the door. Sighing she pushed herself up and stretched her spine. The sound came again and she firmly rubbed her face with her fingertips. Turning towards the door again she cleared her throat.

"Come in," she croaked rubbing her jaw.

The door opened and Jess' office filled with bright light; her blue eyes scrunched shut reflexively and she sighed heavily. The dark figure in the doorway stood still for a moment before reaching to flick the lightswitch on the wall.

"Sorry if I woke you Doctor," the uniformed man smiled and raised the brown cardboard cup in his hand. "I brought you coffee."

Blinking slowly the blonde woman pulled her hair back from her face and yawned. Max crossed the space between them and placed the cup on the desk before slowly turning to observe the room.

"Thanks," Jess pulled a hairband from around her wrist and wrapped it around her now bunched hair. "I'm so tired, I could do with a shot of caffeine. What time is it?"

Max glanced at his watch, "2:35."

"Oh my God, I've slept through most of my shift!"

"You must have needed it. Don't worry about it; I'm sure you'll catch up. After all you have something of a reputation around here as a work-horse."

Jess raised her eyebrows and cocked her head to one side, "Do I?"

"Yeah, you put the big dogs to shame."

Smiling Jess reached for the coffee, pulled the white plastic lid away and held the dark liquid under her nose. "Hmmm, that smells good," Jess closed her eyes before slowly sipping her drink. "Don't you have anything better to do than babysit me?"

"No, not really," Max smiled.

_'Great!' ___Jess sighed inwardly. "Well…thanks for the coffee, but I really do have to start on some kind of work."

"Are you sure you're going to be ok?"

"What do you mean by that?" Jess frowned.

"Well, you know…earlier you were a little shaken,"

"Well, I'm fine now. I was just overtired. Thanks again," she lifted the cup.

Max started slowly towards the door. "If you need me, just let me know, ok?"

"Sure," Jess watched the man leave. As he closed the door behind him she felt her body relax. There was something about that man Jess couldn't quite work out and she didn't like that one bit. The man hadn't even done anything wrong; he'd only brought her coffee, and a strong one at that. But still, Jess supposed she didn't _have_ to like him. He was after all only doing his job. The head of the Psychology Department had instructed Max to watch over her and so far today he had hardly left her side. Maybe she had him all wrong, Jess doubted it. She didn't like him and that was that.

------

"Get your ass on the floor!" the guard yelled at the sitting man. "Face down, now!"

The verbally abused man sighed and licked his lips, "But officer, if I lay on my front…how are the nurses going to get my coat on?"

"Just do it!" the man growled.

The Joker casually fell forward onto his hands and knees laughing to himself. "Oh, look at you getting all _**aggressive**_!" he smiled seductively at the security guard as the two nurses approached him straight-jacket in hand.

"Shut the fuck up clown!"

Grinning at the two women the Joker batted his eyelids and moistened his lips. He loved how a single movement of his face could unnerve the staff in this place. After three years of permanent sedation he had a lot of ground to make up. Laughing at the women's obvious discomfort he allowed himself to be bundled into the jacket and dragged off of the floor.

"I love it when a woman takes control," the Joker purred as one of the nurses pushed him past the guard and thrust him into a waiting wheel chair. As her counterpart hastily fastened the leather straps around his torso Joker sat perfectly still sucking on his tongue and the insides of his scars. "Has anyone ever told you how _**pretty**_ you are?"

The look of fear on the young woman's face was quickly followed by a firm blow to the back of his head.

"I told you to keep your mouth shut!" the guard flexed his fingers.

"What? Can't I even pay a woman a compliment without people thinking I'm trying to kill them?" Joker peered up at the guard from the corner of his eye and nodded his head from side to side.

"I swear! Are you deaf, or just stupid?"

Joker smiled to himself before answering, "Funny that, I remember someone dressed _**just like you**_ being asked that about a fortnigh**t** ago! Ha ha ha! Would you like to know what _happened_ to him? _I can give you a first hand accoun__**t**_."

Suddenly the Joker was on his back, still strapped into the wheelchair, with the guard stood over him, "I'd watch your mouth it I was you!"

"Maybe you could pass me a mirror?" the Joker laughed wildly goading the guard.

The uniformed man grabbed the strap spanning the Joker's chest and punched him hard in the face, "I'll give you more than a fucking mirror!"

"Hey! Get off him!" one of the nurses grabbed the security guard and pulled him away. "If you kill him we'll all be for it! His doctor is keeping a close eye on his physical condition and I don't wanna lose my job because you wanna beat the hell out of him! Leave him alone!"

Reluctantly the guard stepped away from the restrained man and allowed the nurses to right the wheelchair before leaning close to him, "Count yourself lucky freak! Your doctor wont always be around to look after you."

------

"So, we seem to have regressed more than a few steps don't we?"

The Joker sat as lazily as he could considering he was strapped tightly to a wheelchair. "Oh, _I don't know_. I think it suits me, don't _**you**_?" he glanced down at the straight jacket.

Jess sighed and leaned back in her chair, "I want to ask you some questions about what you said me before."

"Mmmm?"

"You said I should be careful about who I put my trust into. What did you mean?"

"What do you _think_ I meant, _Je__**steeer**_?"

"Stop calling me that. I just want to know what you were talking about,"

The Joker gazed at the floor for a few moments, then glanced to either side of him before attempting to lean forward and licking his lips, "Your…um… '_friend'_…that _**Max**_ guy, he um, he likes to think that he _er_…you know, _**runs**_ _**things**_, if you get my meaning. Doesn't like it when…when people stand **up** **t**o him."

"Are you saying I shouldn't trust him? Is that what you're saying? I don't understand,"

"How should _I_ know? _You're_ the doctor _no__**t**__ meeee_,"

"But you _are _saying he can't be trusted?" Jess watched as the Joker tongued the inside of his cheek thoughtfully before shrugging as best he could.

"_Did __**you **__stand up to him_?"

Jess decided to change the subject, "Who killed Ricky Moffitt?"

"Ahhhh…**I** don't know," the Joker raised his eyebrows and shook his head slowly. "Maybe…ahhh…maybe you should ask your _'friend'._"

"Max?"

"How many friends do you have?"

Trying to ignore his sarcasm Jess sighed and wrote something on her notepad. She was getting nowhere slowly and the Joker seemed to be enjoying teasing her.

"Did they tell you what happened to your _preee_decessor?" the Joker's eyes sparkled as the words left his mouth.

"Dr. Brightside? Yes, he committed suicide," Jess lied.

"Huh. _**Suicide**_?" the Joker chewed nothing. "_**That's**_what they told you?"

Suddenly Jess could feel the skin at the nape of her neck tightening. This was more like it.

"What do you mean?" she sat upright and placed her notepad face down on her knees. "Are you saying it wasn't suicide?"

The Joker leaned back slightly and pouted his lips. Raising one eyebrow he tilted his head to one side and rolled his eyes, "Airvents."

"What?" Jess frowned.

"Every. Room. Has. An. Airvent,"

"So?"

"Even mine!" Joker grinned and stared straight into Jess' eyes.

"And?"

"Ahhh, do you have any ahhh…any trouble sleeping _Doctor_?"

"What?" Jess felt her voice crack in her throat.

"A lot of stuff…_happens_…at night. When you have a nice quie**t **cell like _mine_…you get to hear a **lot** of _**stuff**_,"

"Go on," Jess urged him.

"They told _you_ it was _**suicide**_. Well **I **heard he was killed by a one, Jimmy _Bo__**we.**_ _**They're both lies**_," he whispered. "I heard his last…er… 'breath'…well, if you could call it that. More of a gurgle really…quite disturbing… especially when you're a quiet soul like myself." He smiled broadly.

"Why are you telling me this?"

He didn't answer.

"Do you know who killed Dr. Brightside? Joker? Do you know who murdered him?"

The Joker closed his eyes and turned his face to the ceiling. Inhaling deeply he finally spoke, "Are you wearing new perfume?"

Jess' heart leapt into her throat. Perfume.

"It doesn't suit you. I preferred the other one," he sighed and opened his eyes to look at her. "What's the matter? Did I, um, did I hit a nerve?"

Jess didn't answer. She didn't know what to say, or do. Why would he suddenly mention her perfume?

"I'll take _**that **_as a _ye__**s**_," he licked his lips.

"Today's session is over. I'll send the guard in to collect you," Jess said flatly. Standing quickly she marched to the door.

As she began to turn the handle the Joker spoke behind her, "It wasn't a patient."

She stopped dead in her tracks, "What?"

Cocking his head to the side the Joker's face hardened, "So, my little Jester, _**did**_ you stand up to him?"


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own the Joker.

Thankyou so much to everyone who has reviewed my story so far. Your opinions do matter to me and I am extremely happy that you are all wanting more and I love that you're trying to work out who is sending the gifts.

------

**Wake Up Call**

Waiting for the cardboard cup to fill with coffee Jess rubbed her hands over her face and groaned. She had so much work to do and she was so tired; the lack of sleep over the past couple of weeks was finally catching up with her and she was in dire need of another shot of caffeine. The machine finally stopped whirring and she made her way between the metal tables to sit near the other end of the room facing the entrance.

Yawning widely the young doctor placed her hands around her own neck then allowed them to rest on her collar-bones. With her eyes closed she sat for a few moments simply listening to the hospital around her. She could hear the buzzing of the doors as they were unlocked and the sound of the elevator doors opening and closing. Footsteps made their way along the shiny corridors and the voices of the nurses and doctors floated into the cafeteria. All in all the various noises were like music to Jess' ears. This part of the hospital was pretty new and had been built primarily to house offices and visitor's facilities. As a result it was securely separated from the building in which she spent most of her time, and therefore a great deal quieter. There were no screams or howls in this part of the asylum and Jess was indeed grateful for the peace.

She couldn't really remember the last time she had been in this cafeteria or even spent any real time in the building at all. Of course she had to pass through it each day to get to and from her office in the older part of the asylum but she had never really stopped to notice the building. It was merely a stop-gap between the outside world and what Arkham really was; it was like a mask on the face of the hospital. Something to make the visitors believe that it was a civilised place.

Jess chuckled slightly to herself. If the people of Gotham knew what really went on in the hospital they would demand it be closed. They had no idea. No idea how every day patients would rape, kill and maim one another. Of course not every patient admitted to Arkham was dangerous; sometimes they were just misunderstood, like Carl or Ricky.

"Ricky," Jess opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling, "what happened to you?"

Sipping her coffee Jess began to work through everything the Joker had said to her earlier. He had implied that Max had something to hide and that had made her uneasy. She hadn't liked the way he had asked her about her perfume either. The poor doctor didn't know what to believe. It made sense that Max would have access to Ricky and Carl's cell but why would he do that? Why would he blatantly butcher a young man to death? What benefit did committing murder have for him? She didn't understand.

Pinching the bridge of her nose firmly the young woman closed her eyes again briefly. She could feel another headache approaching; she desperately needed to sleep.

"Excuse me, Doctor?"

Jess glared at the young woman standing in the doorway, "Yes?"

"You _are_ a doctor?"

"Yes. Why? Do you need some kind of help?"

The woman took a step forward and rubbed her palms together nervously, "I was supposed to be at a meeting with Dr. Matthews earlier but my train was held up in New York and so I'm really late. Do you know where I could find him?"

Jess glanced at her wristwatch, "I don't know if he'll still be here. What time was your meeting?"

"Five thirty," the dark-haired woman smiled.

"Woah, you _are_ late! Hang on a minute and I'll see if I can get a hold of him for you," Jess picked up her coffee and started back through the tables towards the woman. "Come with me."

"Thank you," the woman smiled. She couldn't have been any older than twenty and was a little windswept. Jess could tell that the poor girl had obviously come straight from the train station and had probably been panicking most of the way. She was a pretty young thing with wide eyes and a cute smile and had the obvious air of a student.

"So, you've come from New York?"

The girl shook her head, "No I came from Chicago, my train had to stop in New York and there was some kind of security alert so we had to wait. They wouldn't let anybody on or off so I couldn't call to let Dr. Matthews know I was going to be so late. I really hope this doesn't affect my chances of working here."

Jess could see the worry in the girl's eyes, "I doubt it. So you're a psychiatrist?"

"Yeah, how…?"

"You said you were here for Dr Matthews. He's the Head of Psychiatry."

"Are you a…?"

"God no! I'm a psychologist," Jess smiled and sipped her drink as they reached a wall-mounted phone. "I know enough about drugs to help my patients but I prefer to deal with the problems, not the symptoms. No offence intended."

"None taken," the younger of the women smiled and looked at her feet.

"You've come a long way to get here. Why Arkham?"

"I found my tutors very difficult at college so I transferred down here but they told me I had to get a placement at a local institution for my training. You know, my internship. I don't start at the medical college for another three weeks but this was the only time I could get an interview here. I want to study the effects of certain drugs on individuals. Mainly violent criminals. I'd also like to do a certain amount of psychology based research to go towards my work. I figure you have to study the mind to determine a person's behaviour before you can assess their reaction to chemicals,"

Punching in the number for Dr Matthews' office Jess smiled again, "I agree with you. Oh hang on…Dr Matthews? Yes hi, it's Dr Cunningham. I have a young woman here with me at reception. She says that you were expecting her earlier today but unfortunately her train was delayed. Yes…" Jess turned to the woman, "What's your name?"

"Harleen," the girl said nervously. "Harleen Quinzel."

Jess repeated her name and agreed to something before replacing the receiver back on the wall. "Right, come with me. I'll escort you to his office."

"He's still going to see me?" the dark-haired woman seemed surprised.

"Yes, so you better not mess up, huh? It's not often he's this kind," Jess laughed swiping her key-card and leading Harleen out of the real world and into next part of the asylum.

"Thank you. You didn't have to do that for me."

Shaking her head Jess dropped her now empty cup into a bin, "Don't mention it. And don't worry, you'll probably get a place here. I don't think he would see you if he wasn't willing to take you on. You might want to fix your hair though."

Harleen quickly removed her hairband and hastily bunched her dark locks into a tightly wound bun before securing it again with the band. Taking note of her surroundings the young woman glanced around herself. "It's not how I imagined it would be," she started. "I thought it would be darker than this."

"You've seen nothing yet Miss Quinzel, believe me, it gets much darker. This is a relatively new part of the hospital. The further you get in the older it gets, and the older it gets the darker it gets. My office is in one of the older bits, that's basically where all the really big cases go. These newer parts are for the less dangerous cases. You would probably work in the older part of the place…especially considering what you want to specialise in. This way," Jess led her through a large wooden door into a long corridor with tiled walls.

"Wow," Harleen breathed. This was definitely part of the old building. Everything about it was depressing. Now Harleen understood what Dr Cunningham had meant when she said that it got a lot darker the further you got in.

"It's like another world isn't it?" Jess waved her hand motioning to the walls either side of them. "You should see the basement. Here you go."

They stopped at a panelled door and Jess knocked. Expecting Dr Matthews to call from inside the two women waited. Instead he opened the door himself and ushered the dark-haired woman inside before thanking Jess and closing the door again.

Jess sighed and began to make her way back through the hospital to the main building. The coffee had done absolutely nothing for her and she decided she had to go home and get some real sleep. She was almost dead on her feet and she was well aware of what had happened the last time she had been overtired...she had managed to earn herself a black mark against her name.

------

Stepping outside into the cold night air Jess rummaged around her handbag for her car keys. It never ceased to amaze her how no matter how empty the thing was she could never find anything in it. Cursing the bag and the keys she opened the zipper as far as it would go and stretched the fabric to peer inside.

"Finally!" she pulled the elusive keys out of the bag and switched her attention to the steps infront of her. Pulling her coat tighter around her waist Jess quickly descended the stone steps and started across the gravelled parking lot to her car. As she approached the rather tired looking Chevy she noticed a small white piece of paper wedged between the windshield and the wiper. "What the hell?"

Lifting the wiper Jess turned the paper over in her hand. It was another photograph; this time the picture was of her talking with Max outside the Joker's previous cell. Suddenly the streetlamp above her turned off and Jess felt her heart leap into her throat as she spun around to ensure she was alone. Hastily she thrust the key into the lock and opened the car-door, practically throwing herself inside before slamming it shut and locking herself in.

Quickly Jess started the engine and drove up to the steps at the front of the hospital and braked. She looked at the photo again.

"This was when he attacked the guard, why give me this now?" she asked herself. Shakily she turned the photo over to examine the back. Nothing. There was nothing written on this one. Why? Was this from the same person? Jess didn't understand. Throwing the picture onto the seat beside her she set the Chevy in motion once again and started on her way home.

At the gates Jess motioned for the guard to come to her window, "Hey, do you know if anyone came onto the premises today?"

The man glanced at the security log, "No ma'am. Only a young woman to see Dr Matthews. Is everything ok?"

"Ahh, yeah. I'm just tired. I just thought I saw someone earlier hanging around my car. Thanks,"

"If you're worried about your car you should check the CCTV in the main building. They have them all over the carpark. I'm sure they'd let you see them considering…" the man stopped himself suddenly.

"It's ok officer. I know you've been briefed about what's happened lately. I was probably just being paranoid, what with the light going out and everything. Thanks," Jess smiled and wound her window back up as she waited for the ominous iron gates to drag themselves open. Chuckling she shook her head. The authorities made so much effort to renovate the old hospital and build new parts of it but yet they still hadn't replaced the gates. If anything was going to make people wary of the place it was them.

------

As the car pulled off the highway and into the centre of Gotham City Jess felt herself relax slightly. Perhaps she was making too big a deal out of all this stuff? She glanced at the photo laid haphazardly in the passenger seat. Well, if the Joker had been implying that it had been Max who had sent her the gifts then this would imply that he had nothing to do with the photos. After all, how would he get a photo of her with himself? And why this one? No, it couldn't be him. Jess knew she didn't like him and she wasn't sure why but surely he wasn't a killer and a stalker? Besides, the Joker hadn't known about the gifts…he had only commented on her perfume. She was letting her imagination run away with her. And making herself more paranoid in the process.

The lights ahead changed to red and Jess braked. As the car slowly came to a halt she turned the radio up slightly. Enough of all this paranoia! If she carried on like this all the way home there was no way she was going to sleep. She checked her rear-view mirror before starting forward again through the junction when suddenly her ears filled with the sound of screeching rubber as the car behind raced past her. She could feel her heart thumping wildly against her ribs and she clutched her hand to her chest.

"JESUS!" she breathed trying to steady her nerves. "Come on Jess! Calm the hell down! Goddamn idiot!"

The Chevy pulled up to the curb and Jess sat for a few minutes with her hands on the steering wheel. Trying to ignore the voice at the back of her mind she turned the radio on full blast causing a passing Gothamite to glare at her angrily. She didn't care what he thought of her, she had to do something to stop the voice telling her she was paranoid. She knew it was right of course. She _was _paranoid. Somebody was taking photos of her everywhere and now it seemed there might not just be one person! Jess shuddered as a chill ran through the very core of her being.

_"__**Did**__ you stand up to him?"_ the Joker's voice was as clear as a bell in her mind. Suddenly Jess felt the urgent need to get home. She didn't want to be here alone. At least if she was at home she could lock the doors and turn out all the lights.

Punching the steering wheel the young doctor felt the tears begin to roll down her cheeks as the delayed reaction to the photo made itself ever present. Swallowing hard she wiped the tears away with the cuff of her jacket and checked her wing mirror as she started to edge the car back into the road. She felt ashamed for allowing herself to get so upset, again. She just had to get a grip on herself!

There was a small break in the traffic and Jess put her foot down to take advantage of it. As soon as she had felt the car lurch forward she knew something was wrong. Something didn't quite feel right. She checked the various dials and lights on the dashboard but nothing was amiss.

"Paranoid! Again!" she scolded herself.

------

Jess was almost home when it happened. As the car started on its journey down the hill she felt the resistance in the brakes disappear. Trying to keep calm the young woman tried the pedal again. Nothing.

"Shit!" she hissed.

Pulling the handbrake up to try and at least slow the car down Jess' worst nightmare stepped out into the road. Grabbing the steering wheel and forcing it to the left Jess prayed to God for a miracle. The Chevy crashed through a wall and Jess felt herself hit the hood face-first. It had happened so fast that she had never even noticed as she had flown through the windshield. Laying perfectly still and feeling the cold darkness of unconsciousness slowly creep over her Jess helplessly listened to the cries of a young woman, "MY BABY!! MY BABY!!"

As a single tear ran over her bloody skin she hoped to God that she hadn't hit the pram.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Joker…not mine!

------

**True Colours?**

"We have a female, white, early to mid twenties, multiple injuries sustained in a car accident…estimated time of arrival 10 minutes."

The words drifted into Jess' ears and slowly the young woman began to register what was happening to her. Her eyelids were heavy and it seemed to take all the energy she had to force them open. Trying to move her head she realised that she was strapped to a gurney. Her limbs felt heavy too, almost as though they didn't belong to her. She attempted to peer out of the corner of her eye at the paramedic beside her but her vision was blurred. With the taste of blood in her mouth Jess attempted to swallow but the pain in her chest dragged a harsh gasp from her lungs. She struggled against the straps and suddenly the pain surged through her entire body like fire forcing back onto the gurney.

"Hey! Calm down, you're on your way to Gotham General…" that was all that Jess heard before the pain became too much and she passed out again.

------

The click of the lock was enough to force his eyes open. Staring blindly into the dark the Joker waited for the inevitable sound of the door opening and his visitor to enter his cell. He lay perfectly still, pretending to still be asleep as the footsteps moved quietly over the padded floor towards him.

Lifting his head slightly he groaned sleepily, "You really should _kno__**ck **_before entering…didn't your mother _ever _teach you…"

The sudden beam of white light shining directly into his face caused the Joker to scrunch his eyes tightly shut. As they readjusted themselves he felt himself being dragged along the floor to the open doorway. Once there he was grabbed by the arms and thrown forcefully into a wheelchair. The dim night-lights were a little more pleasing to his abused eyes but still he could hardly see past the large black spot in the centre of his vision and as a result he wasn't quite sure what was happening.

"Errr…where are you taking me at such a, um, such a _la__**te**_ hour, _Officer_?"

The Joker felt the butt of the torch slam into the base of his skull and he laughed.

"You need to see something," the man behind him growled as they made their way through the hospital.

The Joker yawned noisily and cleared his throat, "You know….I was beginning to think you'd forgotten _aaaall_ about _**me**_."

The man didn't answer, instead he wheeled the sleepy man into the dayroom, parked him in front of the TV and switched it on. The Joker watched as the headlines broke across the screen. Whatever this guy trying to do seemed a little pointless to him, but even so he hadn't been allowed anywhere close to a television in the last three years. The Joker began to wonder what he had done to deserve such a privilege, even if it was in the middle of the night.

Suddenly his eyes caught sight of a familiar face on the screen. The image showed the crumpled remains of an old Chevrolet imbedded halfway through a wall on the other side of Gotham. Some young girl was crying and sobbing about how the car had come from nowhere and she had thought her baby was dead…blah blah blah. That hadn't been what had caught his attention. It was the body in the background that had done that. While the reporter had been interviewing the pedestrian the Joker had noticed two paramedics dragging the body of a woman out of the wreckage and onto a stretcher. The woman's long blonde hair was strewn across her face and stained red in places. Although the Joker couldn't quite see the woman's face he knew immediately who it was.

"Not that this kinda thing doesn't, _you know_…" he nodded his head from side to side and raised his eyebrows, "_**turn me on**_…but why would you bring me here to see this?"

The man didn't answer.

"Hmm, you know, _some_times…sometimes I really do _**worry**_ about you…_**O**__fficer_**. **Maybe you should see a doctor…" the Joker smiled to himself, narrowed his eyes and ran his tongue across his lower lip. "I know a pretty good one…that is to say…_if she's still_ _**breathing**__…"_

The man switched off the TV and silently wheeled the Joker back to his cell.

"_Is that it_?" the Joker purred. "Hardly see the point myself. You really do have no imagin_ation_. Spice it up a little. Hit me. Kick me. Make yourself feel like a _**man**_."

As the guard thrust him back into his cell the Joker turned to grin at him. Instead he frowned.

"What's the matter clown? Were you expecting somebody else?" the young man sneered as he slammed the door and left him in the darkness again.

"Huh," the Joker sighed to himself and glanced around. "Playing 'hard to get'…" Shuffling across the padded floor he turned his head and stared directly into the small camera situated in the corner of the room. His face set like stone he sat contemplating the whole point of the guard's little visit before closing his eyes again and drifting back to sleep.

------

It was two days before Jess finally woke up properly in Gotham General. She glanced around the room and attempted to sit herself upright. As she moved to prop herself up on her arms a bolt of pain shot through her chest. Fighting against the urge to lay back down she gritted her teeth and forced herself up further.

"Ahhhh," the noise was more of a groan than sigh and immediately Jess felt tired. She gazed at the window and realised that she had absolutely no idea what day it was.

The room was empty except for a small unit at one side of the bed, a chair in the corner and the IV and heart monitor beside her. She could feel the small feeding tube in her throat and her mouth felt dry. She was thirsty. Reaching slowly for the buzzer she noticed the vase of flowers on the unit. There was a small card laid next to them and Jess pushed herself to pick it up. Opening the tiny envelope she pulled the small card out and read it to herself.

"Saw you on the news today. You make a pretty corpse…What the hell?" she threw the card back onto the side and pressed the buzzer for the nurse.

Suprisingly her call was answered pretty quickly when a nurse burst through the door and started to check her pulse and temperature and everything else that Jess could have done without.

"So you've decided to join us Miss Cunningham?"

Jess attempted to smile as the young woman slowly pulled the feeding tube out of her nose. "Could I have a drink of water please?"

"Of course, just a moment," the nurse began to make notes in the file at the end of the bed and Jess tried to take a deep breath before asking what injuries she had sustained. "They were pretty superficial, really. Of course that doesn't include your broken ribs. The main problem we had was your head injury; we didn't think you were going to come around. We half expected you to drift into a coma."

"A coma?" Jess was surprised. At least now she understood the pain in her chest. "When can I leave?"

The nurse seemed surprised, "Leave? You've been unconscious for three days we'll have to keep you in for observation so probably in a couple of days."

Jess sighed, clutching her chest to cope with the pain. Two days. She supposed that was nothing compared to the fact that she was lucky to be alive. To be honest it was taking her all of her rationality to accept that she wasn't dead. By all rights she was indeed lucky to be alive.

"You don't happen to know about the baby do you?"

The nurse frowned and glanced down at her charts.

"Not mine…God no, I'm not pregnant…I mean the pram, I swerved to miss the pram. That's why…"

"Oh, no, you didn't hit the baby,"

"Thank God! I was convinced I'd hit it," Jess felt a weight lift from her shoulders and her body relax slightly. Sighing she turned to the flowers, "Could you tell me who brought these?"

The nurse turned to look at the vase and paused for a moment before answering, "I think they were delivered. Is there a note?"

Jess nodded, "Could you dispose of them please. I don't want them."

"Ok. I'm going to have to notify the police that you've woken up. They'll want to talk to you about the accident," the nurse replaced her charts on the end of the bed and started towards the door. "I'll bring you some water, would you like anything else? I can arrange for some more pain relief if you feel that you need it."

Jess breathed deeply through gritted teeth, "I'll be fine. Thanks."

------

"Did it go to plaaan?" the Joker tilted his head to one side observing the approaching man's facial expression.

"Did what go to plan?"

"Ahhh, I see what you're doing. That whole…um…_car crash_…**thing**. It was a good plan…you just didn't think it through properly. You _**see**_…"

"I don't know what you're talking about clown,"

"I guess the answer's _no_…" the restrained man smirked slightly before continuing to goad the security guard. "You know…I was _surprised__**…**_the other night. When you sent your…when you sent your little friend…to visit me? _I _thought it was _you_. Shows how much _I_ know…"

"Get up. You've got a session this morning,"

"It might just be me, but I seem to find it extreeemely difficult to get to my feet without the use of my **arms**. _How about you_?" the Joker grinned and rocked slightly forward before allowing himself to slam back against the wall. "_**See**_?"

Max leaned forward and grabbed the sleeves of the Joker's straight jacket, dragging him violently to his feet. "Carry on being 'smart' and I'll make it impossible for you to stand up at all! Understand?" he growled inches away from the Joker's face. Casting his eyes over the visceral scars either side of the man's mouth he scowled, "You really are an ugly fucker aren't you?"

The Joker didn't answer. Instead he simply stared blankly into Max's eyes with the hint of a smile sitting just beneath his skin. As he was slammed into the waiting wheelchair he groaned slightly and attempted to stretch his spine. He waited patiently while two female nurses firmly strapped his ankles to the chair, then smiled almost seductively at them as Max wheeled him out of the ward and towards the familiar room where he would usually spend time with Dr Cunningham.

Halfway down the final corridor the Joker shuffled slightly in his seat and cleared his throat, "So, what exaaactly _was_ your plan? To _ki__**ll**_ her?"

"I told you I don't know what you're talking about,"

"Reeeeally?" the Joker pouted.

Max opened the door and parked the wheelchair at the far side of the table. "If you know what's good for you," he leaned over the Joker's shoulder and whispered into his ear, "you'll keep your mouth shut!"

The Joker peered at Max from the corner of his eye and slowly sucked his tongue. As the guard walked away from him he tutted loudly, "You better hope she's still al_**ive**_."

Max stopped in his tracks and turned slowly to face the sitting man. "I sincerely hope that you're not insinuating that I had anything to do with Dr Cunningham's unfortunate accident?"

The Joker's stare never faltered; his eyes cut deep into Max's own and he slowly licked the scars at the edge of his mouth and repeated himself slowly, "You _**better**_hope she's **stiiiill** _ali__**ve**_!"


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: The Joker as much as I would like to say he's mine, he's not! He belongs to DC Comics, Warner Brothers, the late Heath Ledger…who might I say should take most of the credit!!

I wasn't quite happy with the last chapter but here goes with the next…

------

**A New Toy**

The taxi pulled to a halt at the ominous iron gates and waited for permission to pass through. Sitting rather uncomfortably in the back seat Jess held her ID badge up to the window for the guard to see. Nodding to her he motioned for the gates to be opened and the taxi made its way along the long driveway to the front steps of the hospital.

Jess released her seatbelt and handed the driver the necessary money to cover her fare and struggled out of the car. Her chest still hurt and she knew that as soon as the staff at Gotham General realised she'd gone she would be in trouble. She held her hand to her breastbone and attempted to take a deep breath as the taxi pulled away. Clutching her bag Jess ascended the stone steps and pushed her way into the hospital trying to ignore the stares of the various members of staff.

As she made her way through the corridors she tried to block out the gasps and shocked comments of everyone she passed. She knew exactly what they were talking about. Everyone knew about the accident and if they didn't then her face told them about it now. The left side of her face was almost black and numerous cuts had been stitched on her forehead. She hadn't really seen the point in trying to hide the cuts and bruises, so she hadn't made the effort. All in all she was a mess. Evenso she had found the hospital quite claustrophobic and hadn't intended to stay any longer than the required couple of days that the nurse had advised. Therefore when the consultant doctor had told her that he wanted her to stay for another week she had immediately planned her escape.

Now, walking through the long hallways Jess almost wished she'd gone home. The fluorescent lights in this part of the building were quite harsh on her eyes and she could feel them starting to water.

Swiping her keycard she pushed her way through into the older part of the hospital hissing as a bolt of pain shot through her fractured arm. She glanced down at her aching wrist and gritted her teeth waiting for the pain to subside.

"Hey, shouldn't you be in hospital?" the voice echoed down the hallway and Jess turned to face its owner.

"Oh, hi…yeah but I have too much work to catch up on. I couldn't afford to stay there another day," she winced trying to hide it with a smile.

"I'm sure they could have got someone else to do your work for you,"

"They probably could but I like to do it myself," again she smiled as she continued down the hallway towards her office. "Oh, Max did you come to the hospital to see me?"

The guard paused slightly, "No, why?"

Jess pushed the image of the flowers out of her mind and sighed, "It's nothing. I just had a visitor and I wasn't sure who it was…I was so drugged up, you know?" she lied smiling.

"No, no I didn't come to see you."

As they reached Jess' office she motioned towards the door and watched him walk away down the hall. Once inside she locked the door behind her and stood with her back against it. Closing her eyes she dropped her bag on the floor and slid down the door to sit with her knees close to her chest. Holding her head in her hands she reluctantly let the tears fall from her eyes wetting the material covering her thighs. She could have really done without seeing him first thing this morning.

------

Turning the key in the small lock Max unlocked his locker and opened the door. He quickly glanced around himself and discreetly removed the small pile of dvds from the shelf and into his holdall. Hanging his uniform on the rail he pulled on his jacket and slammed the metal door shut. Checking the contents of his bag he noted the dates and locations on the disks, they were all there. Then he made his way confidently out of the hospital.

------

"I want to see him, yes today. He's far enough behind on his therapy as it is and I feel we should try to keep him in a routine. Thank you Sir," Jess replaced the handset and picked up the brown folder from her desk. The Head of Psychology had been quick to inform her that she should rest and that everything would be fine without her but Jess felt the absolute need to immerse herself back into her work and the Joker was the first thing on her list.

As she walked to the interview room she recollected the last words he said to her. Her stay in Gotham General had given her time to think and even though at first she had thought she was just being paranoid, now- more than ever- she wanted to know exactly how much he knew about the murders in the asylum. The Joker seemed to know a lot about them and the more she thought about it the more it made sense that she was being victimised, and to be honest she was worried that she was next. If the Joker was right about Max then how was she going to protect herself? After all it was he who had been told to keep an eye on her.

Pushing her way into the room Jess threw the folder onto the desk.

"I want to know everything about the death of Dr Brightside!" she demanded.

The Joker raised his head and smiled broadly, "Hellooo beautiful. I would've made an effort but…"

Jess noted his nod to the straight jacket and sat down opposite him. "Tell me what you know."

"Well, I thought I _already did __**that**_?" he frowned and cocked his head to the side.

"I need to know everything Joker, everything. You said it was…"

"Now wait a minute…_I never said it was anybody_…" he licked his scars and continued, "I just said who it _wasn__**'t**_…there's a difference."

"Stop playing with me! I need to know!" Jess snapped.

The Joker pouted and struggled to lean forward, slowly shaking his head, "Oooh, I'm _no__**t**__ playing_ with you."

Jess huffed impatiently and bit her lower lip. She could feel the tears beginning to well up and desperately tried to calm down before she humiliated herself infront of her patient.

"Bu**t** if you _**want**_ me to play with you, I'm _mooore_ than willing," he grinned like a Cheshire cat. Jess sat transfixed on his face, as hard as she tried to she couldn't turn away. Something about his expression told her that he meant every word.

"I want you to tell me everything you know about Max Gray. You said…" she paused, "…implied, that I shouldn't trust him. You warned me about him. Was it him? Did _he_ kill Dr Brightside?"

The Joker sat back in his restraints and raised an eyebrow. "I see you hit the hood pretty hard," he licked his lips quickly. "Ah, did it…did it hur_**t**_?"

Jess caught her breath in her throat. How did he know about the accident? How could he know about the crash?

"Oh, don't worry, it wasn't _meee_," he cleared his throat. "No, no no, it wasn't me. I had a er, I had a rather _strange_ visi**t**. They, um, _they let me watch the __**news**_**.**" He nodded frantically. "You know aside from the **whole** _smashing your face in_…you looked quite pretty."

Jess' heart leapt into her throat, "A pretty corpse?"

The Joker sucked his tongue loudly, "I'm guessing you got the flowers?"

"**You** sent me those? How?"

"A guy like me…knows how to get things done. It's just a matter of _asking the right people_…you see?" he saw the look of sheer panic spread over Jess' face and hastily continued in a softer tone. "You look scared, was it something I said? It was the flowers right? I knew it would freak you out…I'm sorry…I should have…I should_**n't**_ have sent them. Are you ok?"

"If you can send me flowers…"

"Uhuh?"

"Then you could send me other things…" Jess could feel her voice cracking in her throat and tried her best to steady herself. "I want an honest answer…"

Chewing on air the Joker looked slightly confused, "Mmmm?"

"Have you sent me anything else?"

There was silence as a stern frown darkened the restrained man's face. "What do you mean?" he narrowed his eyes and turned his head slightly to the side, peering at her from the corner of his eye. When he got no answer he sat straight in the wheelchair and spoke plainly, "No. Just the flowers."

"Why should I believe you?" Jess almost choked on the words.

The Joker leaned forward as best he could and lowered his voice almost to a growl, "I'm a man of my _wo__**rd**_."

_**'Knock knock'**___

__The noise made Jess jump and she quickly cleared her throat and called to the door, "Come in."

"Hi," the dark-haired woman from the night of the accident walked nervously into the room and stood before her. "Um, Dr Matthews told me to come to you."

"Harleen?"

"Yeah, you remembered," the girl smiled, nervously eyeing the scarred man to her right.

"I thought you weren't starting for another couple of weeks?"

"They let me start here before college seeing as though I was already here. No point in wasting time, right?"

"Right. So I guess they're wanting you to shadow me for your research? Well grab a chair…we might as well start now."

"Um?" Harleen glanced around herself.

"Never mind, just come in and stand this side of the desk. This is the Joker. You've probably heard of him. He caused quite a bit of trouble a few years ago. He has robbed banks, stolen money from the mob and murdered quite a lot of people. He has no regard for human life or possessions. By all accounts he is certifiably insane."

Harleen smiled and looked at the restrained man, "Hi."

"I personally don't think he's insane but there are certain rules we have to abide by when treating him. Do not approach him without a guard present, do not go into his cell at any point without an escort, do not bring anything into the room when we are interviewing him. Always stay on this side of the desk, ok?"

"Yes," the girl answered. Jess noted that the dark-haired woman hadn't once taken her eyes away from the Joker and also that he had held her gaze for a considerable length of time.

Suddenly the Joker spoke, "Well now, aren't _you_ a pretty little thing?"

Harleen blushed and turned away to stare at the floor.

"Joker!" Jess snapped. "Don't even think about it!"

"What?" he frowned almost in disbelief before letting his head fall forward slightly and peering at Jess from beneath his brow. A sly grin spread slowly over his face and Jess felt her stomach tighten slightly as he tentatively prodded one of his scars with his tongue.

"I think we've done all we can for today," Jess suddenly concluded turning to Harleen. "Oh and by the way, when he behaves like this…just ignore him. He knows exactly how to turn on the charm."

"Me? Charm? Hmm," the Joker mused. "_And I thought you didn't like me_."

"Miss Quinzel would you mind just waiting outside while I finish up this session? I know I asked you to come in but I think it best we start with someone a little less…_difficult_ for your first interview," Jess smiled at the brunette. Harleen nodded and left the room quickly, closing the door firmly behind herself. "Joker, I want you to tell me the truth. Who showed you the news?"

The man shrugged as best he could and licked his lips. Jess felt her heart sink slightly and the tight pain in her chest suddenly returned causing her to gasp and clutch her ribs. The Joker's eyes wandered over her body to her hand and a small glimmer of concern flashed into his eyes.

"I guess you _**did**_ hit the hood hard," he mumbled.

"Huh?" Jess struggled to breathe.

"You should see a doctor…you're in a bad way!" the Joker smirked. "Judging from _**your**_ scars, you're lucky to be _alive_."

"I know," Jess breathed.

"You see now _**that's**_ how you know this _whole thing_ had nothing to do with me…"

"What?"

"If _**I'd**_ have planned the whole…_you know_….car thing?..._You __**wouldn't**__ be here now._ You'd be dea**d**," he stopped abruptly. "You see, _Je__**st**__er_, **I'm** not the one plaaaying with you. But I think you already know that, don't you?"

Jess stared at him. Her heart felt as though it was going to burst through her chest as his words brought her mind racing back to Max.

"I was sent a dead mouse, do you know anything about that?"

"If _**I**_ was going to send you a dead _anything_ as a gif**t**…it would be **considerably **bigger than a mouse," he looked pleased with himself. "Like I told him…he has no _imagination_."

Jess recoiled a little in her chair.

"Oh don't get me wrong…no no no, don't get me wrong. I wouldn't be so…cruuu**de**. No. No I, I would send you something…_nice_….Like flowers. But you didn't like them," he spoke from the corner of his mouth and looked at the floor. "Was it the colour or…?"

"It was the fact that you sent them at all!"

"I guess the note didn't help?" he raised one corner of his top lip in slight disagreement with himself. "I knew I should have left it without a damn card, but I got the better of myself…Sorry," he smiled a little apologetically.

Leaning forward slightly Jess cleared her throat and turned her head to look straight into the Joker's eyes. "Do you think I'm next?"

He looked down at his knees then quickly back at her face, "Why would I know what he's planning?"

"So you do think that it's him? He's supposed to be watching over me…"

"Ha, and _I'm supposed to be in__**sane**_," he grinned cheekily. Humming to himself the Joker licked his lower lip slowly, keeping eye contact with the young doctor. "If _I_ were _you_, I would just keep your wits about you. I never said it was _**him**_. I just said you should watch your back and er, be careful who you put your _tru__**st**_into….Hmm, and look at you now…you're so paranoid that you're willing to trust _**me**_!"

"I never said I trusted you Joker! I just asked your opinion," Jess quipped standing up suddenly.

"Well if you ask me…I think you're doing a _grea__**t**_job of **not** trusting me," he blinked slowly and pulled one side of his mouth into a half grin.

"You're not funny,"

"Whatever," the Joker shrugged and turned his face away before slowly saying, "Believe me, if I'm right, you'll have to trust me sooner or later."

"So you do think it's him? You think it's Max?"

"Well, it's a start isn'**t** i**t**? See, what you have to think about is every li**tt**le thing…on, er, on it's **own**. Don't try to think of it all together…You see, _that's_ when you lose sight of how it was **done**," he could see his doctor was confused. Rolling his eyes he continued, "You said you received gifts…when? Where? What? Personally I would ah…I would be um, I would be focusing on the _where_…"

Jess thought back to the bracelet. He was right. It had to be him. He was the only person who could gain access to her office, and her car.

"Oh my God," she whispered to herself. "Oh my God! Joker, tell me now! Did Max kill Dr Brightside? Please…tell me."

The Joker paused slightly noting the increasing liquid in Jess' eyes. She was visibly upset and who could blame her? Sitting infront of him as she was- stitched up and bruised- he kind of felt sorry for her. He had never felt sorry for anyone in his life and the feeling didn't sit well with him. In fact it tugged at his insides worse than when the blade had tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Sighing deeply he rolled his eyes in disappointment at himself, "Don't get me wrong…**Jes**ter…I'm enjoying this little game of _cat and mouse_ as much as the ne**xt** guy but ah, but this _**whole**_…_crying_ thing…I don't know quite how to cope…with that. It's not that I haven't seen anyone cry before…believe me, when you hold a knife to someone's throat all matter of emotions run through their face…and pants! Ha ha…But ah the truth is…_I kinda preferred you the way you __**were**_…um…_before_. You know…before this whole _thing_ started. **So**…I don't know _exaaactly_ **who** killed the old guy but I have _reason_ to bel_**ieve**_ that it migh**t** be…**said** security guard…Er, trust me when I say…erm…he ah…he won**t **_kill __**you**_**.**"

Jess frowned as she pushed down on the door handle, "What makes you so sure?"

The Joker clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and frowned while shaking his head slightly, "_Oh my little Jester_…**I **_**won**__**t**___**let**** him**!"


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: The Joker and Harleen Quinzel do not belong to me…mores the pity! LOL!

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'**J' Is For…**

Leaning with her back against the wall Harleen waited patiently beside the security guard for Dr Cunningham to open the door and exit the interview room.

Turning her head slightly she eyed the man beside her and smiled, "Is this all you do? Wait outside rooms and stuff?"

The guard raised his eyebrows and shook his head slightly, "Only with her. She likes to be alone with him…for some reason."

"Is she not supposed be?"

"Everyone has their own way of doing things. Personally, I wouldn't want to be left alone in a room with that freak," he nodded towards the door between them.

"Why?"

"He's the Joker. He's a murderer!"

"He can't be that bad can he?"

"He robbed a mob bank and took a couple of hundred people hostage on two ferries rigged to explode. If it hadn't been for Batman…"

"Batman?"

"Yeah, our local vigilante. He stopped him blowing them up. If it wasn't for him hundreds of people would be dead! He caught the asshole and strung him up outside his own hideout. When they found him he was laughing like someone possessed. He's a dangerous guy,"

Harleen glimpsed through the small glass window into the room, "He doesn't _seem_ that dangerous."

"Don't underestimate him, he may seem harmless, but just the other week he murdered a guard in his cell."

"_Really?_" Harleen turned to face the man, obviously interested. "How?"

"I shouldn't really be talking about it. They're still investigating the whole thing,"

"Oh come on…" the young brunette batted her eyelids and smiled sweetly, "I wont tell anyone."

Glancing either side of himself the guard took a deep breath and cleared his throat, "He slit his throat with a piece of glass….Before you ask, I don't know how he got it."

Harleen smiled and turned away again brushing her dark hair out of her eyes. "People like him fascinate me," she laughed slightly as she noticed the look of surprise on her companion's face. "I just wonder what must have happened to make someone behave like that."

"Maybe he was always that way? I don't understand why Dr Cunningham wants to help him so much. They oughta lock him up and throw away the key."

Harleen shifted her weight from one foot to the other before responding, "Maybe she's like me…maybe she believes everyone deserves a second chance."

------

"Ok, I have a lot to catch up on…you can help me," Jess smiled slowly at Harleen who was leaning against the doorframe of her office. "I need to go over some of my patients' notes. You know I'm sure I'm losing my mind…"

"What's wrong?" Harleen asked as she watched the blonde woman open then close numerous drawers, rummaging around in each before moving on to the next. "Have you lost something?"

Jess almost didn't hear the question but answered anyway, "Yes, I mean no…you know what I don't know. Perhaps I took it home…" she turned to look at the young woman in the doorway. "Come in and close the door. You can't see a red file anywhere can you? It should have a white label on it saying…"

"Saying what?" the younger of the two asked after a moment of silence.

"Huh? Oh…um, it's full of Dr Brightside's notes on the Joker. I'm sure it was in that drawer," Jess stood in the centre of the room with one hand on her hip while the other pointed at one of the filing cabinets in the far corner. "You know, I seriously need to get this stuff sorted!"

"Is this it?" Harleen spotted the corner of a faded red folder sitting beneath the small leather sofa to her left. Pulling it out she wiped the front of it to reveal the words; Ideal Study For Behavioural Therapy. Then underneath in large capital letters; THE JOKER.

Jess glanced at the folder, "Thank God for that! Where was it?"

"Under there," Harleen pointed to the floor.

Sitting down Jess started to arrange the various pieces of paper from the folder onto the desk, "You'll probably find this stuff interesting. It's kinda what you were talking about…your research. I thought it might help you…plus I need to read through it to help me with his treatment."

"Thanks, are you sure you don't mind me reading this stuff? I've not been here that long,"

"Sure, they're not my notes anyway. There's a good chance that they're not too accurate…especially considering that when I came here the Joker could barely stand upright and getting a word or even a reaction out of him was like trying to draw blood from a stone! Jesus, he was so overmedicated it was unbelievable, it's a wonder he's not dead! That's why I don't mind you reading it, I agree with what you're trying to find out. I don't think that half of the people in here need medication…it doesn't solve anything,"

"That's why I want to study real cases. I want to establish the differences between people who need a chemical cure and those who would better benefit from some kind of conditioning. I think it's important to give people the chance to change before we just commit them to a lifetime in a straight jacket," Harleen stopped herself quickly. "Sorry. I get kinda carried away sometimes."

"It's good, it shows that you're passionate about what you want to do. Don't apologise," Jess smiled. As she slowly examined each page of research she began to frown. "Some are missing. Some must have fallen out. Would you just check for me please?"

Harleen crouched on the floor infront of the sofa and slid her hand under the base. "No, I can't feel anything…Oh hang on…" slowly she pulled a box out into the centre of the carpet and frowned. "What's that?"

The doctor turned her head to look at the object in question and froze. As the hairs on the back of her neck slowly rose to attention she felt her throat dry out and her cheeks begin to burn.

"Are you ok?" Harleen asked in a concerned tone. "Would you like me to get you anything?"

Jess nodded, "I could do with some water; my mouth's gone all dry. It's the damn air conditioning you know. Would you mind?"

"No, um…here," she handed the box to Jess and quickly left the room.

Sitting perfectly still Jess held the gift-wrapped box in her hands. It was similar to the first gift she had received but slightly smaller. As she turned it around between her fingers she contemplated throwing it away without knowing what was inside it. Finally her curiosity got the better of her and she tore away the gold paper. Lifting the lid of the box inside Jess felt her breath catch in her throat.

"Wow!" she breathed as her fingers ghosted over the gold chain down to the gem encrusted pendant. The charm was a solid gold 'J' and was decorated with a bright red ruby and two sparkling white diamonds. "Well, at least it's not a mouse!"

Suddenly there was a firm knock at the door and before she could acknowledge her guest Max walked into her office and over to her desk.

"Wow, that's pretty. From your admirer?"  
Jess paused not quite sure what to say to him, "I don't know, there was no card this time."

"Do you want me to take it for you?"

"Er, no. But I still want to report it if that's ok?"  
"You can do what you want, you're the victim,"

"What?"

Max turned to look at the notes on the desk, "I meant that you're the one who's being targeted so it's completely up to you how we deal with this."

"Did you want me for something?" Jess closed the box and locked it away in her desk. She watched as Max closely inspected one of the pieces of paper regarding the Joker.

"I was just checking you were ok…Where did you find it?" he looked at her.

"I didn't, an intern did. It was under the sofa, with this file. Which in itself is quite weird,"

"Why?" the guard walked over to the leather sofa and knelt on the floor while leaning over and peering under the seat with his torch in hand.

"Because I was reading this file the night I had the accident and I could swear I put it in the cabinet,"

"Maybe you just forgot. You _have_ got a head injury…it's to be expected," he reached under the sofa and dragged his arm over the carpet as though he was looking for something.

"What are you doing?" Jess frowned.

"Just…checking…to see…if…there's anything else under here," he panted.

"Is there?"

"No," he slowly stood up and started towards the door just as Harleen reappeared with a plastic cup of water in each hand, "Hi there."

"Hi," Harleen smiled and edged past the man.

"Close the door on your way out please," Jess turned to the papers once more before motioning for her student to sit down on the sofa.

"If you need me just call, ok?" Max smiled at the blonde doctor before turning to wink discreetly at young intern standing beside her.

Harleen felt her blood rush to her cheeks and quickly turned away fighting the urge to smile. As the door clicked back into its frame Jess sat back in her chair and sipped her water. Raising her eyes to gaze at the young brunette Jess felt her heart lurch at the intern's reaction to the guard.

"I wouldn't get too close to him if I were you, relationships are forbidden in the workplace," Jess placed her cup on the desk and started sorting through the papers before her.

"What do you mean?"

"I saw the way he looked at you,"

"He was just being friendly, he seems like a nice guy," Harleen smiled shyly.

Jess shook her head and started to read the paper in her hand. She knew there was no point continuing the conversation, if nothing else the girl could relay everything she said to Max…Especially if she actually liked him. Jess supposed that it wasn't her problem; Harleen wasn't a child, she could look after herself. After all she must be somewhat intelligent; she had managed to make it part the way through Medical College.

"So, how are you getting on?" Jess changed the subject.

"With what?" Harleen stared blankly at her.

Without looking at her new colleague Jess continued, "Working here."

"Oh! Erm, ok so far…I've not really done much yet. Today was the first time I had anything real to do,"

"_Real_?"

"Yeah, it's the first time I've been allowed to actually have contact with a patient,"

"What were your first impressions?" Jess lifted her head to look at the young woman.

"I don't know, I wasn't in there long,"

"First impressions can tell you a lot and they don't take long to establish. You'll soon realise that they can be important in this job. When I first started treating him, the Joker, he didn't even speak. That was where my observational skills came into practice. So tell me what _you_ made of him,"

"He was quite charming, I suppose,"

Jess raised her eyebrows, "Charming? That wasn't quite what I meant."

Harleen paused for a moment, thinking, "The comment he made about me being pretty, I don't suppose it was meant as a compliment…I suppose with a person like him it would be some kind of move to make me feel at ease with him."

"Rule one about the Joker, he doesn't like to put anyone at ease…everything he does or says has another motive behind it. In a way you're right, it probably was to make you _feel_ at ease but only so he can manipulate you in the future; that's what he does. Recently he's been pretty reasonable but trust me…when he's on a roll he has a real way with words."

"Oh," the brunette gazed at the floor.

Turning away Jess pulled a small jar of painkillers from her bag. Popping two into her mouth she took a large swig of her water and started writing something on a notepad. "Was there anything else you noticed about him?"

"He seems intelligent,"

"He is…extremely. I don't think that people give him enough credit. They just see him as a psychopath, which he is, but he is also a very well educated man. There's much more to him than meets the eye,"

"Do you think they would allow me to base my research on him?" Harleen asked cautiously.

Jess put down her pen and looked directly at her, "I don't see why not, but he's not medicated at the moment and if I have my way he wont be again."

"Oh," the girl seemed a little dejected.

"I'll have to square it with my superiors as well as yours but I suppose he would be a good case study for the mind side of things. Leave it with me," Jess offered.

------

As the wheelchair squeaked its way through the labyrinth of corridors the Joker contemplated the day's events. Shifting slightly in his straight jacket he recollected the face of the intern. He hadn't expected a new therapist…this certainly was a turn up for the books. Just when he was beginning to lose his faith in the general organisation of the asylum somebody had given him a second chance. His initial plan to use Dr Cunningham as a means of 'discharge' had in all honesty become quite stale, and the introduction of this new girl had suddenly given him new hope. Where he had failed with Jess he now had a new opportunity.

Rolling his head from side to side along the back rest of the chair he gazed at the ceiling watching the ever passing lights above him.

"Hmm," he exhaled noisily before allowing a fiendish grin to widen his lips as thoughts of escape and manipulation raced through his mind. This was he'd been waiting for; his creativity to return. It was true that Dr Cunningham had ignited the initial spark but things had taken a rather different path to that which he had intended and he had to admit that he had become somewhat distracted with her. There was something about the woman that always seemed to reign him in whenever he was 'inspired'.

At night in his cell, the only time when he was truly alone he would have the most wonderful thoughts concerning his wonderful Jester and how exactly he would manipulate her for his own ends. Yet, every time he would see her his ideas would fizzle out. Initially he had thought that maybe she had just 'caught his eye', he was after all only a man, but recently he had noticed the fear in her eyes and it bothered him. Not fear of himself. No that would be understandable, she was afraid of something much worse. She was afraid of failure and he admired that.

The Joker couldn't remember the last time he actually admired someone, or even something about someone and the feeling disturbed him. Part of him wanted to hurt her just to make the feeling disappear but there was something in the back of his mind that would always tell him to stop fantasising about cutting her. Why the hell was she so important to his subconscious? He didn't understand and he wasn't sure whether he wanted to.

This new girl however, now _she_ was interesting. Where his doctor had incredibly thick armour, she appeared to have none. He laughed to himself as the image of her flushed cheeks filtered into his mind. Out of the two of them, this one was definitely the one to manipulate. She was naive, and revelled in male affection- that was clear from the beginning. She was in essence the exact opposite of his little Jester. She would be easy to influence.

Sighing heavily the Joker closed his eyes and slowly planned every step of his escape. He concluded that it would have to be long process due to the present fragility of his doctor. If there was one thing he didn't do, it was leave things half done. He knew what he _had_ to do, but at the moment he wasn't sure what he _wanted_ to do.

Did he want to see her slowly fall apart? Did he want to save her from madness? Or did he want to give her the extra push like he did with Harvey Dent? Or did he honestly want to save her from her 'admirer'?

He pondered the last option for a while before asking himself why he cared. Was it because he was jealous? No, he didn't do jealousy. Slowly allowing the question to tick through his mind he felt the tight knot in his stomach intensify. As the thought of Jess tied up and helpless presented itself to him he grinned maniacally. It wasn't the tying her up that excited him, it was the look on her face when she realised that he was the last thing she would ever see.

Finally he realised the root of his obsession with the woman. He had vowed to protect her to her face. Initially he had thought it some kind of subconscious need to protect his only means of escape but now the intern had arrived that had changed. Now he realised his need to protect her was not to keep her alive…it was to deny someone else the joy of taking her life away from her! He could never allow that…it wouldn't be any fun! No, he had to do something…and he had to make it count!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: The Joker and Harleen Quinzel do not belong to me.

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**A Twist Inside**

Slowly making her way from door to door the portly matron directed the light from her torch into each small window illuminating the sleeping patient within. The ward was quiet except for the near-silent padding of her soft shoes on the floor as she made her way along the row of cells, ticking off each patient as she monitored them. Checking her watch as she approached the last door she again shined her torch through the glass. As her eyes became accustomed to the darkness on the other side of the door she realised the bed was empty. Frowning, she panned the beam of light around the room finally resting on the bottom half of a man swaying slightly in the dark.

"**I need help over here!!**" the words boomed down the hallway shattering the serenity of the isolation ward. Fumbling through the large bundle of keys attached to her waist she finally found the right one and thrust it into the lock. As hard footsteps rushed towards her she dragged the door out of its frame and ran inside, grabbing the hanging man by his legs desperately trying to lift him up. "**Page Dr Cunningham**!"

------

Swiping her keycard over the scanner Jess stormed through the doors into the isolation ward and rushed past the nurse's station to the only open door. As she pushed her way past the nurses she began shaking her head.

"No, no, **no**! What happened? How the hell did he manage to hang himself?" she glared at the medics around her. "**Well**?"

Each face her stare fell onto was blank; no-one had an answer. Making her way further into the room the young doctor knelt down beside the still, greyish body and brushed the man's hair away from his eyes.

"He was found about fifteen minutes ago,"

"By who?" Jess raised her head to look at the matron.

"By me. I noticed he wasn't in his bed, then I saw his legs. As soon as I got into the room I tried to take the pressure away from his neck by lifting him up as best I could...He was already dead," the older woman shook her head.

"Where's the noose?" Jess frowned glancing around the room.

"Um…"

Turning to the nurses behind her Jess repeated herself, "Where's the noose?"

Shrugging their shoulders both nurses shook their heads slowly before looking at one another and frowning.

"Has anyone else been in the room?" Jess turned back to the woman kneeling close to the dead patient.

"No, no-one has been in here except us and the guard,"  
Jess looked around the room again, "What guard?"

The matron frowned, "I think his name was Gray, or something similar."

"Where is he now?" Jess stood up and walked back towards the open door. Again she got no answer. "You all better leave the room and wait at the desk, I'm calling the police."

"Wait, Dr Cunningham…"

"I said, I am calling the police!"

"It's obviously suicide,"

"Really? So how the hell did he manage to get his bedsheets over the lights?"

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Flames flickered orange and red against the black of the city-limit sky as the lone silhouette of a man slowly removed numerous items from a black holdall at his feet. Stepping forward towards the bonfire he threw each small object into the flames and watched it burn before tossing the bag onto the fire. As the fire crackled and sparked the uniformed man stood silently still; he waited there until he was certain that every item had been destroyed then he simply walked casually back towards his car and drove into the night.

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"What do you know about Carl Jefferies' suicide?" Jess almost took the door off its hinges making the restrained man jump in his chair. Slamming her hands down on the table she repeated herself, "**What do you know about Carl Jefferies' suicide**?"

Frowning the Joker turned his face away from the doctor and peered at her from the corner of his eye, "_**Me**_?"

"I don't see anyone else in here, do you?"

The Joker looked around the room then back at Jess with one eyebrow raised, "I'm guessing the answer is _no?_"

"So?" she demanded.

"What?" the scarred man's eyes darted from side to side. "_**I **__didn't even know he was __**dead**_**.**"

"Well, now you do. He hanged himself last night in his cell. He used his bedsheets,"

"_And_? What do _**I**_ have to do with it?" the Joker slowly licked his lower lip and gazed lazily at his psychologist. "_**Hmm**_?"

Jess paused for a moment, rocking slightly forward on her hands. "I don't know," she finally relented shaking her head and slumping into the plastic chair behind her. "I just…"

"_You ju__**st**_?" the Joker leaned forward in his restraints and bit the inside of the scar on the right side of his mouth. "You just thought I would _know_ because of our _li__**tt**__le_ _conver__**sation**_the other day…didn't you? _Huh?_ Either tha**t** or you think I had _something to do with i__**t**_…"

"You seem to know everything else that goes on in this damn place!" Jess snapped. "What do you know?"

"Nothing, nothing at all. _Why would I know anything? _He was down _theeere_…and I…Well I was up here. That's two floors of difference _Doctor,_" he sucked his tongue slightly allowing it to click against the roof of his mouth before grinning widely. "Does this mean that you agree with me? You know, about your er little _s__**it**__uatio__**n**_?"

"When Ricky Moffett died Carl said it was a clown. You were a suspect, you know that. You said that you killed the guard to prove that you didn't kill Ricky…"

"_Hmmm_," the Joker agreed.

"I don't think that Carl killed himself,"

"My my, we _are_ getting paranoid…aren'_**t**_ we?" he prodded his lower lip with his tongue.

"The Matron said that he hanged himself and his bruises confirm that. But the noose is missing. The only thing he could have used was his bedsheets and they were missing…this is my fault," Jess' tone changed suddenly. Her whole demeanour seemed to change as her gaze fell to the floor and she sat forward resting her head in her hands. "I told them to give him back his bed. This is my fault!"

The Joker sat watching her silently. Feeling the familiar twist of concern in his gut he allowed every line and furrow of regret and sorrow slowly creeping over her face to burn into his memory. Although her eyes were not gazing in his direction he could still see the hurt in them. She honestly thought her patient's death was her fault. The Joker laughed quietly to himself and bit down hard on his bottom lip. Desperately trying to block out the twist in his insides he increased the pressure of his teeth and turned his face away from the troubled woman.

Staring at the adjacent wall he recalled his thought from the previous evening. They didn't seem to matter now, he didn't understand why his head was telling him one thing and his insides were making him feel another. On the one hand he had convinced himself that eventually he would kill her, but now- as usual- his whole body was telling him he was wrong. The woman had an unnerving ability to make him question his whole existence. Why was he feeling like this? Turning back to look at Jess the Joker sighed heavily then cleared his throat. She turned back to face him.

"It's not…Really, it's not. It's _**not your fau**__**lt**_," he regretted the words escaping his mouth as soon as they passed his lips. Beneath the confines of the thick straight jacket the man could feel his hands shaking. Clearing his throat again he allowed the tip of his tongue to gently caress the corner of his mouth, "_You_ weren't to know he was going to do something like _tha__**t**_. You can't be held responsible for his untimely…_**demise**_."

He watched as the young woman's features softened slightly and noted how pretty her eyes were before silently scolding himself for doing the moment between them grew longer, Jess felt the hairs stand to attention at the nape of her neck. She knew, as did he, that she should look away but she felt as though her eyes had been locked into his stare. As each second passed she could feel a small knot tightening in her stomach and she could hear her own breathing rate increasing.

"Miss Quinzel wishes to sit in during our sessions. I think it's only fair that I notify you of the change to our routine," she suddenly changed the conversation tearing her eyes away from her patient. Her voice was abrupt yet seemed a little reserved to the Joker; she appeared somewhat unnerved by the previous five minutes of their session.

Feeling her heart pounding in her chest Jess nervously ran her fingers though her blonde hair. Every fibre of her body told her to believe him but she knew damn well that her conscience would not agree with him. Slowly she raised her eyes to his once more. The Joker turned away and clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

"She's the kid, right?"

"She's not a kid," Jess corrected him quickly. "She's a psychiatrist and she wants to study you."

"Well, I suppose it'll make things a little more _inter__**est**__ing_," a sly grin spread across the Joker's face as he mentally counted the ways he could use Harleen to his advantage.

"I'm going to organise another session for this afternoon," Jess stood up slowly before running her fingertips over the surface of the table. She noticed the Joker's dark eyes follow her hand and she quickly looked away. "Is that ok?"

Turning his head to the side the Joker raised his eyebrows once more, "Rack 'em up."

Jess stood for a moment looking at the restrained man before leaving, "I'll take that as a yes."

As the door closed behind her the Joker grinned, "Rack 'em up, rack 'em up!"


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own the Joker or Harleen Quinzel…or Arkham Asylum for that matter.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed my story so far, I really do appreciate it. Thank you also to those of you who have faved my story, I'm so glad that Arkham Angel is so popular. Please don't hesitate to review…thank you again.

Just a little note to say that I am aware that some words are missing from my stories AFTER I upload them on here. I have tried to rectify the problem but for reasons unknown to me they are still missing…so I apologise if some parts of my writing are difficult to read. Eg the 'moment' Jess' and Joker's eyes met in the last chapter. That was two sentences but two of the words and the full stop are missing here on-line.

Please try to fill in the occasional gaps, I do apologise but it is not my doing! :)

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**A Turn of Events**

"Ok, are you prepared? Do you know what questions you're going to ask?" Jess smiled at the slightly worried looking intern before her. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. Everyone has to start somewhere, besides you were the one who wanted to use him as a case study."

"I know," Harleen breathed as she attempted to loosen her grip on the Joker's file. She raised her head to stretch her spine slightly and checked her pockets. Glancing at Jess she pulled a ball-point pen from the top pocket of the lab coat she was wearing and handed it to the blonde woman at her side.

"It's ok," the doctor shook her head slightly, "you can take it in with you, just don't go near him. He's restrained but don't let your guard down for a moment. Go on then, go in…show me what you know."

------

Attempting to reposition himself in his restraints the Joker tensed his arms and shuffled slightly. Almost willing the material binding his arms to his torso to disappear he sighed heavily before glancing towards the door. On the other side of the small window he could just about make out two dark figures. Growling to himself he sucked the inside of his lips and raised his eyebrows before allowing his head to fall backwards so that his face was turned upward to the ceiling. Silently he waited for the inevitable click of the door unlocking and for his guests to finally enter the room.

The door opened slowly and the Joker didn't move. As the two women crossed the chess-board floor the man simply listened to the soles of their shoes clicking against the tiles before slowly forcing his head upright. Groaning deeply he widened his eyes and glared at the young brunette sitting across the table from him. Judging by the slightly constipated expression on her face he figured she wasn't too sure about what she was supposed to be doing. He waited for her to place the brown file in her tight fists down on the table before glancing at Jess sitting with her back against the wall. Noting Jess' intentional avoidance of his eyes he turned back to the brunette.

"You look nervous," he frowned and cocked his head to the side. "_Is it the scars?_" The girl sat apparently paralysed before him. The Joker casually turned to his doctor, "And the poin**t** of _this iiiis_?"

Jess leaned forward slightly and cleared her throat, "Harleen? Are you ok?"

"Yes," the word seemed forced as she feigned a smile before breathing deeply. She wasn't scared, she just wasn't completely sure about what she was doing. When she had asked Dr Cunningham about studying the Joker she hadn't anticipated that it would be happening so soon. As she sat stiffly in the orange chair she desperately racked her brain for the first question. If nothing else, this was an opportunity to prove how dedicated she was and to show how capable she was. So far things weren't going too well and she was becoming increasingly aware of Dr Cunningham's gaze behind her.

"_Hmmm_?" the Joker licked his lower lip and smiled slyly at the elder of the two women before turning his attention back to Harleen. "Would you like to know how I got 'em?" he continued, nodding slightly as he anticipated her answer. Leaning back as best he could he raised his eyebrows and tilted his head to the other side, "My Father…was a drinker, and a _fiend_. One night he goes off _**crazier**_ than usual…Mommy gets the kitchen knife to defend herself. Daddy doesn't like that…No**t**. One. Bi**t**…So- _me watching_, he takes the knife to her…_laughing_ as he does it," he paused for a moment, drinking in the expression on the intern's face before glancing back at Jess. The difference in the two women was obvious. The younger of the two was obviously trying to make sense of his story and seemed to believe it. The older of the two however sat completely still, her face expressionless. She didn't appear to be affected by anything he was saying, her attention was entirely focused on her colleague. Turning back to Harleen he continued, "He turns to me and says, 'Why so seriou**s**?"…comes at _me_ with the knife…again, 'Why so seriou**s**?'…puts the blade in my mouth...Let's put a _**sm**__**i**__**le**_ on that **fa****ce**!'…you can probably work out the rest yourself," he grinned and shifted casually within his restraints.

Harleen sat transfixed. She knew she should be writing something, anything down on her notepad but she couldn't take her eyes away from his face. Just watching his scars move as he spoke made her feel…strange. She could almost feel the words bubbling up in her brain…thought after thought- question after question.

"How did you feel about your father?" the young woman suddenly asked.

The Joker didn't answer straight away, instead he sucked the inside of his right cheek and peered at a small mark on the wall near the door, "I hated him."

"How did you feel about your mother?"

"She was a good woman, a good mother,"

Harleen twisted slightly in the plastic chair, turning towards Jess. The elder of the two women raised an eyebrow questioningly then smiled warmly, "And?"

"_And?_" the Joker turned to face his doctor.

Jess glanced at the restrained man quickly before turning back to Harleen and passing her a small piece of paper. Miss Quinzel read the note and nodded, "Can you elaborate a little more about your mother?"

"Hmm," he licked his lips. "She was a quiet woman…in the end. _He_ made her that way." A sickly smile spread over his face as he turned his attention to Jess, "He _s__**tripp**__ed_ her down…ah…_layer by layer_. Eve**nt**_ually_…well, she was so _weak_…she er, she _cru__**m**__b_le**d**."

As her eyes caught the Joker's gaze Jess felt her heart leap into her throat. She felt as though somebody had ripped her chest open and was fumbling around in her insides. She felt so…tense. Every second that passed allowed his dark eyes to dig deeper into her soul and she felt a cold tremor course through her body. Something told her he wasn't really referring to his mother, no, it felt as though he was warning her. As she struggled to force her self to look away from him the Joker grinned slowly.

Suddenly Jess felt a small vibration in her pant's pocket. As she pulled out her pager she realised Harleen was still talking. The girl had started slowly but now she seemed to be on a roll

Jess held the small beeper up to read the message before standing and approaching her young colleague, "I need to go to reception, we're going to have to cut this short…sorry."

"It's ok," the brunette chirped as she quickly read through her notes and smiled. "I have quite a bit to go through."

Jess tilted her head to look at the notepad resting on Harleen's knees. It was true, she had made quite a few notes and the pages seemed to be filled with ideas and questions that she had been inspired to ask. Jess turned to the door, pushed it open and called the guard over, "Hey, you can take him back now. When he gets back to his cell you can remove his restraints…give him a day or so to 'stretch'."

The man nodded and proceeded to wheel the Joker out of the room and down the corridor. Harleen closed the door behind herself and quickly followed Jess through the hospital. "Would it be ok for me to use your office doctor?"

"Of course," Jess replied. "I have to go to reception so I'll give you the key."

"Where's Ward D?"

"Huh?"

"Where's Ward D?"

"Why?" Jess handed her a small bunch of keys- fumbling with each one as she searched for the correct one. "It's on the third floor down there," she pointed down a distant corridor. "Why? Are you thinking of visiting him?...the Joker I mean."

Jess wasn't surprised when she got no answer.

------

"Miss Cunningham?" the first uniformed man stepped forward.

Jess nodded, "Yes."

"We've been sent by to inform you of our findings regarding your accident,"

"Oh," Jess smiled slightly.

"We have reason to believe that your car was tampered with. The fluid in your brakes had apparently been leaking up to the time of the accident. Were you aware of any problems with your brakes before the incident?"

"No," the doctor frowned.

"You made a complaint recently regarding anonymous gifts?" the officer flicked through his small notebook and raised his eyebrows. "Is there anyone you can think of that may have wanted to harm you?"

Jess bit her lower lip before answering, "There is someone but I have no real reason to suspect them. Besides I highly doubt they would do something like that to me…"

"Evenso Doctor, any information you may have will be of great use. Now, their name?"

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Running the tips of her fingers over the stitches imbedded in her forehead Jess solemnly inspected the gashes on her face in her bathroom mirror. Sighing heavily she turned on the faucet and wet the flannel sitting beside the soap on the ceramic basin. Pressing the wet cloth firmly against her wounds she closed her eyes and sighed once more. Her heart was heavy in her chest and the young doctor could feel the corners of her mouth being persistently pulled downwards. As she felt the tension between her eyes she took a deep breath and ran the cloth beneath the tap again.

Moving closer to the mirror Jess counted the small pieces of surgical string in her skin. She knew the cuts would heal but she also knew that where there were stitches there were usually scars.

"Tshh!" she hissed as she moved her hair away from the large gash across her hair line. "Well at least nobody will see that."

Slowly Jess scrunched and stretched her facial muscles, then turned her face to the side attempting to see under her jaw line. The inky stain spanning her left cheek had progressed further down her face and now faded into a greenish tide mark below her jaw and the white of her eye was slightly bloodshot. As she gently stroked the tender skin she felt the heat radiating from her face.

Turning slightly in the small bathroom she untied the belt around her waist and slipped the top of her bath robe over her shoulders allowing it to fall to the tiles at her feet. Standing naked in front of the mirror she cast her eyes over the dark shapes covering most of her left side. In all honestly she was lucky to be alive, and she knew that. Frowning she gently prodded the marks and hissed slightly as the pain caused her to tense up.

She was so tired. All she wanted to do was go to sleep but her mind was racing with constant replays of her conversation with the police. She had finally told them her suspicions about Max and had immediately known that it was a bad idea. Now they were going to investigate him. She hoped to God that she was wrong about him and that the Joker had been lying when he said Max was a dangerous man. If he wasn't then she knew her life was going to take a serious turn for the worst!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Harleen Quinzel or the Joker.

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**The First Step**

As the two doctors made their way through the large security door Harleen watched from the end of the hallway. Glancing at the blue sign opposite she took a deep breath and waited. Ward D. As the two men passed her she smiled and nodded, clutching the brown file in her palm as though her life depended on it. Glancing at the closing door she quickened her pace and slipped the file between the lock and the frame. She pushed her arm through the gap and nervously walked into the ward.

"Can I help you?" a voice drifted over the top of the small counter to her right.

Harleen turned sharply and smiled nervously at the sitting woman, "Um, could you tell me which cell the Joker is in?"

The nurse sat observing the brunette for a moment before smiling and pointing further down the corridor, "Cell 5, right at the end."

"Thanks," Harleen felt the pressure lift from her shoulders as she made her way down the darkened hallway towards the end of the row of locked doors.

On reaching the final door Harleen glanced back towards the sitting nurse before stepping closer to the cell. Peering through the glass she strained her eyes to see the hunched man sitting in the far corner of the cell. The light from the high window washed over the padded walls and illuminated the top of the apparently sleeping man's hair. The longer Harleen stood watching him the more she could feel the excitement coiling around her insides as she contemplated asking the nurse to unlock the door. As soon as the thought drifted into her mind she pushed it aside, reasoning that she had pushed the rules far enough by simply being here.

As she watched the static man the young intern became aware of her hand resting on the door handle. She wasn't sure what exactly had sparked her intense infatuation with the man, all she knew was that since the moment she had met him he had flicked a switch in her brain and now all she wanted to do was find out as much as she could about him. She found him so…interesting. He was indeed a dangerous man- she didn't doubt that, in truth she did kind of find him a little intimidating. But that wasn't enough to rein in her thirst for knowledge. There was something about him that just seemed to 'speak' to her; something beneath the surface that he wanted her to find out.

"Would you like me to unlock the door, Doctor?" the nurse's voice burst through Harleen's thoughts making her jump.

The brunette stood for a moment peering through the small window before turning to the nurse and nodding, "Please."

As the woman approached her along the ward Harleen felt the tug of nerves in the pit of her stomach. Perhaps she was pushing things too far? The older woman smiled as she slid the key into the lock and watched the Joker through the glass. "He's not restrained, so watch yourself. I'll have to close the door behind you. We don't have guard tonight, I'm not even sure I should be letting you inside with him but since you're a doctor I suppose you know what you're doing," she smiled again before tugging the heavy door from its frame.

Harleen peered inside the dark cell and swallowed hard. As the nurse leaned forward and flicked the switch beside the door the Joker lifted his head. As the room filled with harsh, sterile hospital light he closed his eyes slightly and tilted his head to the side. Harleen stepped onto the padded floor and watched as the door was shut firmly behind her. She could feel her insides tying themselves in knots as her pulse beat out its increasingly fast rhythm in her ears. Her face felt like stone and she cleared her throat loudly before lifting the file slightly and speaking.

"I wanted to speak to you if that's ok," the words cracked as her nerves got the better of her vocal chords.

"_Reeeally?"_ the Joker's eyes sparkled beneath his brow. "Does the dear doctor know you're hear? Huh?"

Harleen didn't answer, she simply started asking prepared questions, "How did your mother's death affect you?"

The Joker frowned, "My Mother? What does _she _have to do with anything?" He licked his lips suggestively.

"What happened to your father?"

Rolling his eyes the Joker slowly pushed himself to his feet causing Harleen to take a step backwards. "My Father killed himself before they could arrest him. Hmm…do you ah, _do you think that could have had some kinda_….you know, ah, _**affe**__**ct**_on my _behaviour_?"

The young woman gazed at him choosing to ignore the sarcasm in his voice, "I'm simply trying to get a better idea of what you've been through. Talking is a great for of therapy…Mr…Joker."

Clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth the Joker started slowly towards her. "You see…_Je__**st**__er_…she told me you were a psych**iat**rist…." His eyes flicked from one side to the other as he paused dramatically, "I thought _that_ meant you didn't bel_ieve_ in…ah…_taaalking?_…Hmmm? What's wrong…Miss **Quin**zel? Do I intimate you?" his face was fixed in a serious expression and it did slightly intimidate her. He was no more than a couple of feet away from her and she was feeling a bit apprehensive as to what was going to happen next.

The Joker took another step towards her and allowed a sickly grin to dance across his face as he lifted his hand to touch her hair. Harleen recoiled slightly before drinking in the feeling of his fingers in her dark locks. It felt to her as though small fireworks were exploding all over her scalp as the infamous murderer combed through to the ends of her hair. Her eyes were firmly fixed on a seam in the padding on the far wall as the unrestrained man circled her.

The Joker leaned close to her ear, "You're going to be in a lot of trouble when she finds out you've been here."

Harleen felt a small tremor run the course of her spine and stifled a small gasp as it made a bid for freedom. She felt the Joker run his fingertips over her shoulders as he took a deep breath behind her.

"I don't like your perfume," he moved away from her and made his way back to the corner and slid back down the walls to sit with his knees pulled up to his chest. "You should have words with Dr Cunningham…Now _theeere's_ a woman who knows how to pick a perfume." He paused for a moment drinking in the almost unnoticeable disappointment pulling at the girl's facial features. Smiling to himself the Joker revelled in his ability to read her so well. He was actually quite impressed with himself for noticing the subtle intentions of the young intern's visit. Apparently his wonderful Jester wasn't the only one to have an admirer. "Ha, you know…_Harl__**een**_ is it? You seem like a pretty intelligen**t** woman…So, ah…_whyyy_, uh, _why would you come __**here**__ to see __**me**__…um…all by __**yours**__**elf**__?"_

Harleen didn't answer straight away. Eventually her voice quietly gave way, "I just thought that we kinda missed out on a good session this afternoon…what with Dr Cunningham being called away. I wanted to elaborate on what you told me then, that's all."

"Hmm. So you just chose to ignore the _ruuules_? My my…and I thought my little _Je__**st**__er_ liked to live _dan_gerousl_yyy_," he smiled.

"What?"

"Flirting with death," he continued. "Why did you really come here Miss Quinzel?" he sucked his lower lip hard.

Suddenly Harleen felt shy. She turned away from him and scuffed the toe of her shoe over the thick cream padding beneath her feet. As she felt her cheeks start to burn she cleared her throat and turned towards the door, knocking on the small window for the nurse to let her out.

"A pretty girl like you…ah…should be careful who she associates with," the Joker grinned as Harleen stepped out of his cell into the hallway beside the nurse. As the lights gave way to darkness he growled deeply, "We wouldn't want anything to happen to that pretty face now would we?" 


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own the Joker or Harleen Quinzel. The other characters, however I do! Hehe!

Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed my little story…please keep doing so; I love to read how you all feel about Jess and what's happening to and around her. I'm so glad you're all enjoying it.

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**Setting the Wheels in Motion**

"Hold him down, Goddammit!!"

"I can't! Nurse!! NURSE!!"

"Get his legs! Pin him down! For Christ's sake will someone get a bloody doctor!!"

"Doctor Cunningham! Doctor Cunningham!" the matron yelled as Jess passed the doorway. "Please help!"

Frowning, Jess pushed her way into the treatment room to be greeted with the vision of a dangerously out of control man thrashing around on top of a gurney. Surrounding the man, desperately trying to keep hold of his limbs, were three nurses and a matron. Each face Jess' eyes fell on was panic-stricken. They had obviously been trying to subdue the man for quite some time and were visibly tired.

"What do you want me to do?" Jess quickly took the file from the work surface to her left and flicked through the pages. "Thomas Shiff? He's not one of mine. Let him go. Release him…pinning him down isn't going to solve anything!"

The four women released their grip on the flailing man and hastily backed towards the door as he tumbled from the gurney onto the floor. Clinging to the base of the stretcher the patient shuffled across the tiles to slam his back against the wall.

Jess slowly approached the cowering man and smiled, "Thomas, I'm Dr Cunningham…are you ok? The nurses weren't trying to hurt you, they were trying to help you."

"He wont take his meds, we were ordered by his doctor to ensure that he took them. His condition is deteriorating dramatically and…"

"And being pinned down by four people wont help. He's a paranoid schizophrenic, he's terrified!" the blonde shook her head. She turned back to Thomas Shiff, "Calm down, you're fine Thomas. What happened?"

"He…he, told me things would get better…hehehe," the sweaty man giggled. "He said they would go away…hehe…he just wanted me to…"

"He? Who, Thomas?"

Thomas' eyes darted to stare at Jess from the corner of his pale lids, "The Boss."

Jess frowned, "The Boss? What did he want you to do Thomas?"

"He said I didn't need my pills. He said that he would make them stop making me do things. He said he was in charge and that the others would leave if I stopped taking my pills…hehehe,"

"Thomas, who is the Boss? What is his name?"

"Hehe, he has no name. I have to do as he says or he'll tell them to kill me. I don't wanna die. He'll protect me if I do as he says…"

"What does he want you to do? If you tell me I can help; I'll make them go away and I wont let him hurt you. But I can only help you if I know what he wants you to do,"

Shiff twitched nervously as Jess' words slowly burrowed into his brain, "He wanted me to hide this."

Slowly Thomas pulled a small object from the pocket in his standard issue blue shirt. Holding his hand palm-side up he thrust his arm towards Jess. The object sat in the centre of his hand, shining gold in the fluorescent strip lighting. Jess stepped forward and gently took the item from the patient, holding it between her index finger and thumb.

"Did the Boss give this to you Thomas?" Jess gazed in awe at the ring.

"He said it would be there and it was. He said I should hide it so that it was safe. It's a gift,

"For who?" the doctor turned the ring in the light and smiled as the jewel set in the gold band sparkled.

"Is that a diamond?" one of the nurses gasped behind Jess.

"I doubt it," Jess replied. "Never the less it's beautiful. Thomas, did the Boss tell you who it was for?"

The giggling patient shook his head and rocked forward slightly before throwing a piece of paper onto the tiles between them. Stooping Jess picked up the paper and turned it over. On the other side of the sheet was a black and white photograph. As she closely observed the picture a small alarm bell sounded in the back of her mind. The various shades of black, white and grey came together to form the image of a partly demolished wall separated by the crumpled remains of a Chevrolet. Strewn across the hood of the car was the bloodstained body of a blonde woman. Jess knew immediately that the woman in the photo was her.

"Give me his pills," Jess crumpled the photograph in her fist and turned to the nurses. As she was handed the small paper cup containing numerous colourful capsules she stepped towards Shiff and held his head back. "I promised I would make the go away. If you swallow these they will leave you alone…and the Boss wont know that you gave me the ring. Ok?"

Thomas swallowed the pills and Jess handed the cup back to the matron as she walked back out into the hallway.

"What shall we do with him Doctor?"

"Take him to the day room. And find his doctor," Jess forced a smile and stormed down the hallway towards her office. She was late now and she knew Harleen would be waiting.

------

"Hi, you're late," the voice was shrill in Jess' ears and she gritted her teeth.

"I know," she sighed, "I was held up. There was a problem with a patient."

"Oh?" Harleen chirped. "Who was it?"

"No-one you would know. Come on, they'll be waiting for us and he'll be a swine if we're much longer."

"A swine?"

"Yeah, we're dealing with the Joker again this morning. There's some stuff I need to get through with him before I can recommend a therapy plan for him,"

"Oh," Harleen looked away shyly. "Will I be able to talk with him today?"

"No. You will be sitting in however, and I want you to take notes about the way I question him. You seemed to get a little distracted yesterday," Jess unlocked her office door and marched to her desk. Throwing the ring and photograph into a drawer she grabbed her notepad and the Joker's file. "Come on."

------

"Good morning…_Do__**ct**__or_," the sitting man allowed his head to fall forwards so that he was gazing at Jess from below his brow. Pouting, he tilted his head to one side as Harleen followed his doctor into the room. "Miss _Qu__**in**_zel"

"Right, before we start I want to ask you something off the record, ok?"

"Hmmm?" the Joker sucked his lower lip loudly.

"I was given a gift today from a patient,"

"_And_?" the Joker frowned.

"Before you were captured you wreaked havoc on Gotham…"

"Uh huh," the restrained man grinned, obviously pleased with her statement.

Jess sat down and tossed the file and notepad onto the desk between herself and her patient. "You employed a lot of ex-patients from Arkham. One of which was named Thomas Shiff, is that right?"

Pausing, the Joker sat back in his chair and raised his eyebrows. Now this was a surprise. He hadn't expected her to bring this up. Why was she so bothered about a pathetic excuse of a man who had barely served his purpose as a fall guy during his attempted assassination of the mayor? Even so the Joker answered his doctor, "Yes."

"Did you know that he was back in Arkham?" Jess leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees.

The Joker attempted to mirror her, "_Noooo_…should I?"

"He gave me something. He said his Boss wanted him to save it for him,"

"_And_ _what does __**that **__have to do with __**meee**__?_"

"You know **exactly** what it has to do with you!" Jess growled. "He works for you…so it must…"

"No he doesn't,"

"What?"

"He _doesn__**'t**_work for me,"

"Prove it!"

"_Whyyyy_?" the Joker looked puzzled. "You look tired, Jester…_Trouble sleeping_?"

Jess felt her temper start to rise, "My sleeping pattern is not the problem, the presents are."

"Oh…ah…_didn't you like them_? Hmm? You see, ah…the whole um," he licked his lips quickly, "_**woo**__ing you_ 'thing', doesn't seem to be ah, doesn't seem to be _working_ too well."

"So it **is** you?"

"Did I, ah, say tha**t**?" her patient raised his eyebrows and prodded the inside of his left cheek with his tongue.

Jess sighed heavily and turned to Harleen, "Would you do me a favour? Would you just tell the guard to come in here and bear witness please?"

The brunette nodded and made her way to the door. As the guard closed the door behind himself Jess stood up and rounded the table towards the Joker.

"What are you doing?" the guard asked gruffly.

"I'm removing his straight jacket," Jess answered as she unbuckled the straps confining the Joker to the wheelchair. Pulling him forward she tugged at the leather straps across his back, loosening each one before unbuckling them completely and dragging the tough material over the sitting man's shoulders.

"Are you out of your mind?"  
"No, officer…I simply think that sometimes people deserve a little trust," Jess stood directly infront of her patient and slid the cream jacket down his arms.

As she unrestrained the Joker the young doctor could feel his dark eyes moving over her hands and up to her body. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck begin to stand on end as she realised he was staring intensely at her face. As the jacket slid off of his arms, Jess felt it catch on something. Tugging slightly she sighed realising that she was going to have unhook it from behind her patient. Stepping towards him she leaned over the sitting man and reached down his back feeling for the problem.

The Joker turned his head slightly to gaze at the side of his doctor's face. She was so close he could smell her shampoo as well as her perfume. Inhaling her scent his eyes flicked towards young brunette standing against the back wall.

"Mmmm…you smell _gooood_, _Je__**ster**__,"_ he watched as Harleen's pretty blue eyes lost their sparkle. He was right, he did have an admirer…and he was enjoying driving the dagger into her chest; it was almost as good as the real thing, only with less mess. Now for the twist. His eyes darted back to Jess, "You _reeeally_ are _beauuutiful_ Jester…You know, ah, you know he really doesn't work for me."

Jess tried to ignore the hard tug in her gut as she fumbled with the material behind the man. She was in such close proximity to him she could even hear his breathing. The doctor allowed her eyes to trail over the thick, offensive scars that ran almost from one of his ears to the other. As his tongue ran slowly over his lower lip she noted how it was also abused. It did make her wonder how he had been maimed, and whether any of his explanations were actually true. It was only when she watched his rough lips stretch into a broad grin that she realised she had been staring at his scars for a minute or so.

"How _did_ you get your scars?" she ventured.

"I've already answered that question, _try another_," he licked the corners of his mouth and tilted his head.

Jess finally managed to free the jacket and stepped backwards pulling the material with her. As the Joker's arms were freed completely he grabbed her wrist sharply. Immediately a bolt of what could only be described as electricity shot through Jess' body. Glaring at her patient's face she instantly knew that she hadn't been the only one to feel it. Sitting with a smug look of self satisfaction behind his scars the Joker quickly released his grip slightly. As the pressure on her wrist reduced Jess cleared her throat.

"Release the doctor or you will face the consequences!" the guard strutted to the opposite side of the orange-clad inmate.

Neither the Joker nor Jess reacted to the guard immediately. Both stayed completely still for a moment before Jess finally spoke, "It's ok, you can go now. Both of you."

"_Me too_?" Harleen sounded shocked.

"Yeah, just for a moment. He has doctor patient confidentiality and seeing as though you're not actually qualified yet I'll just need you to stand outside for a couple of minutes. I just need to ask him a few personal questions,"

"I can't leave you with him doctor," the guard contested.

"I'm telling you to leave, Officer. There's nothing he can do. I have a panic alarm and if he tries anything I'll sound it ok?"

The guard frowned and shook his head before turning towards the door and following Harleen into the corridor, leaving the blonde doctor with the unrestrained Joker firmly holding onto her. He knew damn well the doctor was breaking the rules, as did she _and_ the Joker. Silently he wondered what it was about the man that made the doctor trust him enough to unrestrain him and risk being alone with him.

"She must be as insane as he is," the tall man laughed.

Harleen turned to look back through the small window at her colleague and the Joker. She watched as neither of them moved. Standing outside the room she felt the heavy weight in her chest as she watched the Joker's fingers trail over Jess' hand. That weight soon turned into a burning fire as she felt her whole being succumb to the sickly feeling of jealousy as she willed Jess to move away from the Joker. However the more she willed her move, the longer she seemed to stay there. With a look of utter pain and loathing in her eyes Harleen watched as the Joker licked his scars seductively.

She couldn't stand it. Every second that passed twisted the knife a little more as she remembered how it felt to have his fingers running through her hair. She knew it meant nothing that Dr Cunningham wasn't moving away, but even so she hated her for being alone with the Joker. And she hated him for touching her.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with the Batman universe.

Thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing my story so far. I really do appreciate your reviews and I look forward to hearing what you all think. Please continue to do so…. : )

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**Great Things From Small Seeds Do Grow…**

The moment the door clicked back into its frame Jess tried to pull her hand away only to result in the Joker tightening his grip. As his fingers closed harshly around her wrist once more she glared at him, "Let go!"

The Joker made no attempt to release her. Instead his lips parted slightly and the tip of his tongue prodded gently at his right canine tooth. Tilting his head to the right he gazed at his 'hostage'. He watched as her bright eyes flickered with a faint glimmer of anger…he liked that. Coupled with the almost unnoticeable twitch of her pink-glossed lips as she attempted to quell her rising temper it was sexy. As he pondered whether to increase his grip or to release it he caught sight of the young intern peering through the window. Turning his attention back to his doctor the Joker ran his tongue slowly over his lips and smiled broadly. Trying to ignore her patient's oral habit Jess turned her head slightly to glare at the broad, rough hand surrounding her wrist.

"I said let go!" she attempted to pull her hand away only to be stopped by the surprisingly fast clench of the sitting man's fist, "Ahh!"

Her sudden pained gasp took the Joker by surprise. Dr Cunningham wasn't usually one to show her pain so easily. In the few months he had known her she had often come to him in fits of rage or panic, but never had he seen her in pain. She was too proud…and stubborn.

Observing the quiet contortions of her facial features he analysed every tiny emotion bubbling through her pain. Surprise, anger, confusion, resentment, vulnerability…but never fear. That worried him somewhat. Finally, after years of abusing himself and others, years of crime and cold, bloody murder he had found somebody who wasn't afraid of him. This was new to him. With the exception of Batman of course, he had never been so close to someone who didn't actually believe he was going to kill them. A little concerned by her reaction, or lack of it, the Joker pondered whether his Jester would have been even a little scared had he been holding a knife to her throat.

Finally, remembering the rather burly guard standing outside the door, the Joker released her arm running his rough fingers gently over the vulnerable part of her wrist, before trailing them casually across the heel of her palm then allowing them to sweep over the back of her hand, down along her fingers. Her skin was smooth and warm to his touch. As his unmanicured nails traced over her knuckles the Joker noted the way a small shudder ran through his doctor's core forcing her to pull sharply away from him.

Throwing the straightjacket onto the desk Jess returned to her chair and sat cross-legged before her patient. "Why are you sending me gifts?" she glared at him.

"_Me_?" the Joker questioned her lazily, raising his eyebrows and leaning forward in his seat. "I um…I thought I _already told you_?…it wasn't…ah,_** isn't**_ _me_. Just what do I have to do to make you _believe m?..._ Jester? _**Huh**_? I, ahem, I _sweea__**ar**_ to you…ahhh, _hon__**est**__lyyy_…ha…although, I ah, I suppose I was a _natural_…um…ugh, _suspect?_ What with being locked in a padded room for twenty three hours a day, in a secure ward with no visiting rights…_yeeaah_, I can _really_ see how I could um, you know, er _send you, um…hehe…send you__** gif**__**ts**_?"

Jess decided to ignore the man's sarcasm and continued, "You sent me flowers in the hospital…if you can do that then…"

"Hmmm," the Joker clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth loudly then turned away from her to gaze at the window in the door.

"Ok," Jess sighed, thinking the whole problem through. "If it wasn't you…I mean to say, if Thomas Shiff isn't working for you then who is he working for? I just don't…"

"How should _I _know?" the Joker pressed his palms down onto his orange pants and stood upright stiffly. Stretching his arms out infront of himself he groaned slightly before slowly rounding the table, one eye constantly on the door. "You seem to believe that I have the answers to _everything_…" he frowned and pouted his lips. "You know, ah, your growing _**dependence…**_er, _on me_…it's ah…it's becoming a little _worrying_. We should start being more careful…people , ah, people will start….ahem…start talking…" a broad grin spread across his face as he bent slightly at the waist and leaned towards her.

Turning her face away from him sharply, Jess tutted to herself and shook her head in disbelief. Did he honestly think she was dependent on him? He had got to be kidding. "I don't think so," the blonde woman coughed. "I just don't understand…"

"How's Ma**x**?" the Joker changed the subject slightly. "You _are _on first name terms with the wonderful Officer Gray _aren't you_?"

"That's close enough!" Jess held the mobile alarm firmly in her fingers. "Don't come any closer."

The Joker ignored her warning and continued towards her, "Oh come now...Really? _You would do th__**at **__to __**me**_?" he feigned sadness before taking another carefully calculated step forward. "You're forgetting, _my little Jester_…without _meee _you're alone…and what do you think'll happen to you then?…If you ah…if you send me to isolation? Huh? _Do you __**really **__think he'll leave you alo__**ne**_? Tru_**st**_ me Jester…_I'm_ the only reason you're still _aliii__**ve**_…."

"What?!" Jess sprang to her feet, kicking her chair back against the wall. Taking a couple of steps towards her patient she frowned and tried desperately to calm her breathing down. She wasn't scared of him, she was angry. What the hell did he mean, he was the reason she was still alive? "**Who the hell do you think you are**?!"

His smile quickly infected his brown eyes and they sparkled with glee as he stood upright and held his arms high to either side of his torso, "The Joker…_see?_"

"You think you're in charge of everything don't you? Nobody cares about you…they don't care what you think! He knows damn well there's nothing you can do to him…so how the hell are you the only reason that I'm still alive? Huh? What makes you so goddamn special? You're a patient for crying out loud! You have no authority in here…you're in inmate! Do you seriously think that Max Gray gives a shit what you say? **Do you**?" Jess suddenly became aware of the volume of her voice. Sighing heavily she turned her face away and closed her eyes briefly, rubbing her left temple with her fingertips. "I don't even know if it **is** him. You don't know…"

"Yes I do," the Joker said flatly.

Jess' pretty blue eyes were suddenly tainted with a shade of realisation. "What?" her voice was quiet and broken.

"Surely Commissioner Gordon's finest have paid you a visit by now?"

"What?" Jess frowned.

The Joker rolled his eyes and cocked his head to the side, "The police."

"I know!" the doctor snapped. "What do you mean?"

"How's your ah…" the Joker ran his tongue over his lower lip, "your car?"

"Why?"

"I'm guessing your…um…_**brakes**_ were ah…ha…were kinda, you know…_broken_?"

"How do you…?"

"I told you they showed me the news…I ah…I saw them dragging you out of that er…that _waaall?_ Believe me _Je__**st**_er, our little '_security_' guard…he um…" the Joker began shaking his head quickly, "he does**n't **like you. _I don't know what you did to piss him off_…but ah…but _**whatever**_ it was must have been biiig! Let's face it," he took a step forward and swallowed hard, "_the man is trying to __**kill **__you_. I'll let you into a secret…Hmm?" he nodded his head and took another step towards the suddenly nervous woman forcing her to take a couple of steps backwards. "Our little friend, ahem, he doesn't like _**me**__ either_. I intimid**ate** him…" he glanced back at the door before moving forward again. Turning back to Jess he noted the tightening of her brow as her nerves gradually got the better of her. She was apparently realising exactly what she had done when she removed his straightjacket. "Oh Jester, you look nervous…now…I know it's not the scars…so is it the um…you know…the whole '_no straight jacket'_ thing?" he smiled. "I can see how that would make you nervous…but I assure you…"

"Stop!" Jess demanded as her back came into contact with the wall. "Don't come any closer or I'll press it!" She held the panic button infront of her face.

The Joker glanced at the black pebble-like object in her hand then flicked his brown irises upwards to gaze into her eyes, "Hmm, if you were really going to do it…you'd have done it already." His scarred lips stretched broadly across his face as he took another step towards his doctor and gently took hold of the alarm button. Slowly turning his head to the side he peered at Jess from the corner of his eyes and licked the corners of his mouth. "Do I _**scare**__ you doctor_?"

Jess stood totally still. She could feel the alarm button in her hand but no matter how much she willed her fingers to close themselves around it they stayed like stone as his rough fingers closed around her hand.

"_Do you think you made a mistake_? Huh? _**Letting me **__**out**_?" the Joker bit his bottom lip before continuing. "Surely you remember what happened the _last_ time you recommended they remove my straightjacket?" he raised his eyebrows and nodded his head slowly before almost closing his eyes and moving forward so that his face was no more than two inches from hers. "I killed a guard," he growled.

Jess tried to turn her face away only to have strong fingers work their way over her hair and redirect her head to face the Joker. "Move away! Now!" the words escaped her body before she could stop them.

"You see, **this** is how I like you best…" the Joker whispered, leaning into her. "This is how you _use__**d**_ to be."

The familiar bolt of electricity suddenly raced through Jess' spine as she felt her patient's breath on her face. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck beginning to stand on end as one side of her body tightened with anticipation. She could feel her breaths heavy in her chest and tried as best she could to turn away from the disturbed man.

"You truly are a magnificent human being," the Joker purred in her ear. "You remind me of…someone. Hmm, you see I'm not really one for the ladies, but ah…you…well you make me _wanna be a better person_…honestly."

Jess twisted slightly between the wall and the Joker gazing at the grin on his face. "Don't bullshit me, Joker. I don't believe a word you say. I have no proof that it's not you who's harrassing me…just your word. You know the more I think about it the more I realise that I'm slowly going the wrong way about this whole thing…"

"Huh?" the Joker frowned.

"You seem to think that I care about you. Is that why you want me to believe you about Max? You think you can manipulate everyone. It may have worked outside the asylum walls…out there in Gotham…but it is not going to work here…not with me! You asked me if I'm scared of you…no I'm not. And I don't think you're the reason I'm still alive. You said it yourself; you spend twenty three hours a day in a padded room. How the hell could you possibly be able to protect me? Unless of course it's you who arranged for my brakes to fail…I wouldn't put it past you!"

"_Now that's cold_!" the Joker licked his lips and pulled back slightly before gripping Jess' throat firmly and pressing his cheek against hers, lowering his voice to a deep rumble, "If I was the one who vandalised your…_**car**_…trust me…you would have come away in a **body bag**! Believe me Jester; I _**have**__ thought about killing you_, but to be **honest**…it just _wouldn't be __**any fun**_! _Buuut_…surely, if you want proof of who sabotaged your car…you…you could just ask for the CCTV…right?"

Jess stood wondering just how the Joker could say something like that when he had his hand around her throat. She wasn't quite sure whether to believe him. On the one hand he had given her information when she had asked for it and had warned her about Max. All-in-all he had been relatively reasonable with her as far as she could remember. But then on the other hand he was a homicidal maniac. He took immense pleasure from causing pain and suffering to those around him, and Jess knew that she was one of those people. She had no reason to believe that he would treat her any differently than he would treat anyone else.

Squirming slightly in the Joker's grip Jess tried to move away from him only to be held firmly against the wall. Attempting to press the panic alarm she flexed her imprisoned fingers only to have the small black button ripped from her palm and held infront of her face.

"How about I prove it to you? Come on now Jester, are you watching?"

It took a moment or two before Jess realised what was happening as the guard burst through the door and slammed the Joker onto the floor. As Jess caught hold of the orange, plastic chair stopping herself from joining the two men she rubbed her throat and caught sight of Harleen in the doorway. The brunette was standing with her hands over her ears, trying to block out the constant squealing of the panic alarm and her eyes were fixed on the Joker. Her blue eyes were full of adoration and Jess could tell that the intern was a little more than professionally interested in the hysterical man on the floor. As Jess followed her line of sight she noted the pebble-like alarm wedged securely between the Joker's thumb and fingers.

He'd set it off himself.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own the Joker or Arkham Asylum…or Harleen Quinzel. Jess Cunningham and Max Gray, however, do belong to me!!

Thank you again to everyone who keeps reviewing, I do appreciate it.

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**Only A Matter of Time**

"Excuse me, Officer Gray?"

The security guard stopped and turned towards the receptionist, "Yeah?"

"The police are here, they've come for the CCTV of the carpark. I've sent them straight to the security office,"

Max felt as though someone had just but a noose around his neck and was pulling slowly upwards. Clenching his teeth he nodded and smiled, "Thanks."

Continuing through the wide corridors of the hospital Max tightened his grip on the black holdall strung over his shoulder. This was not good. His day hadn't gotten off to a good start and dealing with the police first thing in the morning was not his idea of fun. The truth be told, he wasn't really a big fan of the police. In his experience they were mostly self righteous, arrogant fascists who thought as long as they had a badge and a gun they had the right to throw their weight around. Running his fingers over the rough material of the bag he took a deep breath and rounded the final corner onto the corridor leading to the security office.

Passing the door marked 'SECURITY' Max pushed his way into the locker room and bundled his holdall into his locker. Slamming the metal door shut he checked himself in the mirror and made his way back to the Security Office.

"Morning, I'm Max Gray…officer in charge of security," he acknowledged the two police officers standing close to one of his colleagues and approached the allocation chart pinned to the wall. Searching for his name and ward for the day he listened closely to what the three men behind him were saying.

"Good morning, we're here to collect your CCTV for the last two weeks, particularly covering the parking lot," the first officer said. "However this young gentleman seems unable to locate the disks in question."

"I can't understand why they're not in the archives. We log and archive the disks immediately after they come out of the machines. They should have been in the archive room. I just don't know where they could be," the young guard seemed unnecessarily nervous.

Turning his head slightly Max stood up slowly, "Don't worry about it Scott, I can check the allocation logs to see who was on shift at the time. If they've been moved by someone then I can't promise that we'll get them to you by the end of the day but we'll try."

"The sooner the better," the second officer stepped forward.

"Oh, have you checked the machines? Sometimes people forget to log them properly, it really annoys me!" Max turned to his colleague.

"Yes Sir, we've checked everything. All the disks are present except for the ones covering the parking lot on that particular day,"

"It all seems very strange to us," the first police officer starting making notes in a small pad. "Surely you should know where your records are? You did say you were in charge?"

"Yes," Max began. "For now I am. There are three off us. We work on a rota system so it's likely another officer was in charge at the time of the incident with Dr Cunningham's car…"

"Dr Cunningham's car?"

"That is why you're here isn't it?" Max quickly became aware of the fact that no-one had actually mentioned the incident in question, and suddenly regretted saying it himself.

"We can't say. But we do need those disks ASAP. So please, you need to locate them so that we can proceed with our investigations," the second police officer continued.

"Of course, I'm sorry. I'll get right on it," Max turned to his colleague and continued, "You're on A Wing today. I suggest you get going. If that is all officers I can escort you back to reception if you like?"

The two officers turned to one another and frowned slightly, "You're obviously busy, we can find our own way out. Please let us know when you find the disks and we'll send someone to collect them."

"I will," Max walked the two men to the door and smiled. "I'll be sure to ring once I've found them."

With that he closed the door and glanced around the room. He was alone now and could feel the twist of panic in the pit of his stomach. What was he going to do? He had to replace the lost DVDs before anyone else realised they were missing. Scott already knew they were gone and that was one person too many. He had to sort this out before the police started asking him questions. He'd almost blown it when he assumed they'd come about Jess' car and that was too close for comfort.

"This is nothing," he reassured himself quietly. "I can sort this."

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"Right! Get him in there! Leave his jacket on!" the burly security guard ordered as he pushed the grinning Joker into the isolation cell.  
"What happened?" the matron asked.

"He attacked Dr Cunningham," Harleen stepped forward and shook her head slightly. "He had her against the wall!"

"Really? How?" the matron almost choked on her words.

"She made the mistake of putting her trust in him!" the guard shook his head. "She's a fool! He could have killed her!"

"But he didn't," Harleen quickly interjected. "He didn't kill her. I don't think that was what he was planning…"

"Really?" the guard huffed. "If I hadn't have taken him when I did…"

"You wouldn't have known if the alarm hadn't sounded!" the young intern was sure she was right and was definitely not about to let the guard brand the Joker something he wasn't…she was positive he didn't intend to kill Dr Cunningham.

"Well it's a bloody good job she pressed it,"

"He had the alarm not her!" Jess grinned. "He pressed it!"

The matron raised her eyebrows and peered through the door at the laughing man sprawled across the floor.

Shuffling his knees beneath him the Joker attempted to manoeuvre himself towards the wall, all the while laughing loudly. As he reached his destination he rolled onto his back and slowly pushed his way up the wall so that he was sat glaring through the open door at his three observers. He noted the expressions on each of the faces peering back at him.

The guard seemed quite satisfied with himself and obviously felt he truly had 'saved' Dr Cunningham. The matron seemed surprised at the fact she was now to be taking care of the Joker himself and the dear Miss Quinzel seemed to be elsewhere in her mind. Her eyes were soft and gentle. It appeared that she was thinking very intently about something. The Joker supposed that it was probably him. He wasn't surprised that she had noticed who had sounded the alarm, and that only increased his suspicion that she was somehow 'interested' in him. This served only to heighten his laughter as the matron slammed the door shut leaving him with only the sound of his own whoops and howls.

'Now,' he thought to himself, "Let's see just how independent my little Jester really is!'

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"I need you to cover on the isolation ward, ok? The Joker has had to be moved there and they're not comfortable having only one guard. I'll cover you here, get going," Max ordered the young guard to leave the CCTV room. "I'll log it down later. Thanks Billy."

As soon as the door closed Max turned the key in the lock and sat down before the bank of monitors flickering black and white. Carefully he removed ten or so disks from his shirt and slid each one into a drive. Paying particular attention to the action on the screens he quickly set about altering the timecodes in the top right hand corner of the screen and started to copy the data from one disk to another. This was going to take a very long time.

------

Jess pulled the key from the lock and shoved it into her handbag. She was so tired. All she wanted to do was get home and go to bed. Her small altercation with the Joker had left her a little wary. She wasn't sure why. His actions had completely baffled her. He could have quite easily hurt her…but he didn't. He hadn't even attempted to hurt her. She heard herself telling the guard that she believed the Joker wouldn't try to harm her but even she had known he would probably attempt something.

Shaking her head at her own stupidity she pushed her way through the security doors into the newer part of the hospital. Running her fingers through her hair she contemplated the reason why he had pressed the alarm. She had warned him about being taken to the isolation ward but still he had shown no concern for himself as they had dragged him laughing down the hallways.

For some reason Jess felt a little sad that she hadn't accompanied him to the isolation ward but she supposed that Harleen would have been more use than she would have been at the time. There would have been nothing for her to do anyway; the moment he was handed to the staff on the ward they would have taken over. Besides, there were rules and procedures about patient/doctor interaction. Since the incident the doctor had spent most of her day filling out forms and answering questions about what, how and why? All in all it hadn't really been a good day.

Ensuring the final door locked behind her Jess stepped into the reception and glanced at her watch. She had a couple of minutes before her cab was due to arrive to take her home. She stepped outside into the cold night air and pulled her coat tight around her body. Standing at the top of the steps she leaned against the wall and gently ran her fingers over her healing wounds.

"Hey!" the man's voice behind her made her jump. "You need a ride?"

Jess turned to see Max pushing his way through the large wooden doors towards her. "Erm," she forced a smile, "I'm, er, I'm fine. Thanks. My cab's due anytime now."

"Don't be stupid! I'll take you, it'll save you a few bucks if nothing else," the guard grinned. "Come on…saves you waiting in the cold. I'll be offended if you turn me down…"

"Um," Jess glanced around the parking lot quickly, not knowing what to do. Her heart was racing and she could feel the alarm bells shrieking in the back of her mind. What if he was her stalker? Either way, no matter what she did things could probably get worse. She glanced at her watch again. "I should really just wait here…I don't want you to go out of your way for me."

"Come on Doctor, I wont take no for an answer! I don't bite," Max winked at her as he started down the steps towards his car. Jess sighed heavily and reluctantly followed him. She knew what she was doing was stupid, and dangerous. If the Joker was right then this man was trying to kill her! But if he wasn't then there was nothing to be afraid of.

Gripping the door handle Jess closed her eyes briefly, what the hell was she doing? Breathing deeply she opened her eyes and looked across the roof of the car at Max. He smiled at her and quickly ducked into the car before opening the passenger door and beckoning her in. Reluctantly she accepted.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: the same as usual…blah blah blah!! Hehe!

------

**True Colours?**

Clutching her hand bag tightly, Jess willed the passenger seat to swallow her. Glancing at Max from the corner of her eye she quietly cleared her throat. Averting her eyes to the darkness on the other side of the windshield she began to pay close attention to the bright tail-lights of the passing cars. Small spots of rain were beginning to litter the glass in front of her and she almost leapt out of her skin as the windshield wipers sprang into life.

"Are you ok?" Max turned his head quickly to look at her and then turned back to the road. "Doctor?"

"What? Yeah, I'm fine. I think I was just falling asleep and the wipers startled me…that's all, sorry,"

"You don't have to apologise," he shifted gears. "I heard you had a run in with the Joker today."

Jess peered through the window to her right, "I wouldn't call it a run in. It was more like an accident waiting to happen."  
"From what I've heard, you're lucky to be alive!"

"Who told you that?"

"The guard who 'saved' you; he was so proud that he got the Joker away from you. I had to sign his report. So…?"  
"So what?" Jess turned to look at him.

"So what _actually_ happened?"

"Nothing really, he just tried to push his boundaries, like a child. I gave him an inch and he tried to take a mile. That's all," Jess shuffled slightly in her seat.

"That's all? Paul said he had his hands around your throat! I don't call that pushing boundaries, I call that assault!" Max shook his head.

Jess raised her eyebrows, "He had one hand on my neck, he was hardly trying to kill me! Paul, is it? He seems to have fabricated a great tale to go along with his heroics! Believe me, the Joker wasn't trying to hurt me…he was trying to scare me. There's a difference."

Max glanced at her in the rear-view mirror, "Oh yeah, what's the difference?"

"Intent. Threats mean nothing if he's not actually willing to hurt me. I don't think he planned on doing it…he just does things. Although, he did tell me that he has thought about killing me," Jess laughed slightly.

"And that doesn't scare you?"

"Why should it? If I'm going to die at the hands of a madman it may as well be him, right?"

Max shook his head and leaned forwards slightly, peering out of the window at the upcoming slip road, "Are you hungry?"

"Erm…" Jess didn't know what to say; the question was something of a surprise.

Max apparently saw the reluctance in her face, "Please, my treat. You look like you could do with a good meal in you."

Jess took a deep breath and gripped her bag. "Ok. I suppose it couldn't hurt right? Providing of course you're not planning on poisoning me?" she laughed nervously, Max laughed with her.

"The police came to Arkham today," he changed the subject as the car pulled into a small parking lot attached to a McDonalds. "They wanted the CCTV footage of the parking lot on the night of your accident."

"Oh? Did you give it to them?" Jess ventured cautiously.

Max frowned gravely, "What kind of question is that? Of course I did…it took me ages to go through the archives to find the right ones…why would I refuse to help with the police's investigations? What kind of person do you think I am?"

"I just meant…I mean…I didn't know if there were special procedures or something for handing over CCTV footage…that's all. I didn't mean to offend you, sorry,"

"I'm only joking. Relax!" the security guard smiled stiffly at her and manoeuvred the car into a dark parking space.

Jess sighed and bit her bottom lip, "I wish I knew how to. What with the presents and photos and stuff…I just don't know what's going to happen next."

The car pulled to a halt and Max nodded towards the restaurant. Slowly Jess made her way out of the car and across the tarmac to the door while the security guard locked his car then followed her.

"What do you want?" he asked as they neared the counter.

"Whatever, so long as I get diet coke," Jess smiled nervously. She wasn't quite sure what she was doing here with him. How stupid could she be? What did she think she was going to achieve by letting him drive her home? She hoped to God that the Joker was wrong about him!

"Why don't you get a table and I'll get the food. No sense in both of us standing around, huh?"

Jess did as she was asked and sat down facing the queue. With every second that passed her insides became tighter and tighter. Every fibre of her body told her she was in over her head and should make her excuses and leave! However her vocal chords failed to agree.

"Here we go," Max approached the table, placed the food between them and started to hand Jess her meal.

"Thanks,"

"Eat up, before it gets cold," he laughed unwrapping his own burger. "So, why did you want to be a psychologist?"

"The mind is a wonderful and complex thing and nobody really knows exactly how it works…or doesn't work. I just find it fascinating. I wanted to be able to help people," Jess answered truthfully.

"Do you still feel that way now you're at Arkham?"

The young woman sat for a moment contemplating her time at the asylum, "I don't know. I suppose there's not much point trying to help anyone in Arkham. Let's be honest, the majority of them wont be seeing the outside world again."

"Like the Joker?"  
"I suppose so. But he's interesting,"

"He's insane," Max smiled. "Truly insane."

"No he's not," Jess quipped. "He's no more insane than you or me."

"How can you say that after all the things he's done?"

"Quite easily. The true measure of insanity is right and wrong," Jess motioned with her hands. "You see, if you're insane then you will not…no **can** not differentiate between right and wrong, good and bad. It's all the same, there is no difference! The Joker knows damn well that what he does is wrong. He knows that he is a murderer, and he's proud of it. Therefore he's not insane. In fact, he's far from it. He's an extremely intelligent man. If you think about it a lot of what he has done has actually made sense and Gotham has come out of it better off than it was before the he terrorised the city."

"How the Hell did you work that out?" Max almost choked on his food.

Jess swallowed her mouthful of burger and took a large swig of her diet coke. As the cold, fizzy liquid hit her taste buds it seemed strangely bitter. "This coke tastes weird," she frowned.

"Yeah mine does too," Max agreed quickly. "I think they need to change their syrups, they're probably running out."

"Probably," Jess took another sip and placed the cardboard cup back down on the table. "The Joker planned everything from robbing the mafia and the gangs…now that was brave enough in itself but then he broke into Bruce Wayne's penthouse and ended up killing one of his good friends, or so a hear. That was probably also planned. He managed to maim the city's DA and threatened the family of the Commissioner; he is a cold calculating man who thrives on the pain and suffering of others.. And the whole ferry thing…that was a test to make the people of Gotham find the true value of their lives. It's all just a big test. He just finds it funny…he's not stupid, he's witty and manipulative. That's why I'm apprehensive about Harleen spending too much time with him. She's so naive…" Jess took another swig of the unsavoury drink.

"Naive?" Max watched as Jess finished her fries.

"Yeah,"

"Oh well, there's always one right?" he laughed scrunching a napkin in his fist.

"I suppose," Jess wondered exactly what he meant by that. "She's not a bad kid, her heart's in the right place."

"Isn't everybody's?" Max smiled across the table at his companion.

Jess reciprocated the gesture and returned to eating her meal. Staring at the half-eaten burger in front of her she became extremely aware of his eyes moving over her clothes. Lifting the burger to her lips she attempted to ignore the unwanted attention and glanced around the room.

They weren't alone in the restaurant, and to be honest Jess was grateful. She watched as the various people bustled through the heavy doors into the restaurant, shaking their umbrellas and fixing their hair. Children ran between the tables as their parents yelled at them to sit down. Jess smiled to herself as she noted how similar the people were to the patients in the asylum. Some seemed quite calm and quiet, keeping themselves to themselves while others sat chattering about nothing, making as much noise as possible.

"It's strange isn't it? The more I spend time with the patients at Arkham, the more I see their traits in everyone else. It fascinates me how every one of us is ever so slightly different in the way we think and behave. That's what makes us unique, or reactions to what's going on around us," Jess tilted her head to the side and took a bite out of her burger.

"I suppose," Max shrugged watching two kids climb over the chairs a couple of tables away. "I remember being a kid, playing cops and robbers."

"Oh yeah…which were you?"

The guard rubbed the back of his head gently, "I was always a robber! My brother always wanted to be a cop…he still…I mean he did."

"I didn't know you had a brother," Jess smiled.

"Yeah, he's younger than me…joined the police a few years ago…" Max's voice suddenly seemed to lose all of its character. His words were flat and bland, "He moved away."

"Oh," Jess turned back to the remainders of her meal. Lifting her drink she shook the cup lightly, rattling the ice inside. "I should really be going home now."

Max seemed elsewhere. Sure his body was with her but his mind certainly wasn't. His eyes had lost their shine and his face was blank. Jess waved her open palm in front of his face.

"Huh?" Max blinked dramatically and sat upright in his chair. "What were you saying?"  
"Just that I really need to be getting home, that's all,"

Glancing around himself Max started to clear away the empty wrappers and paper bags littering the table between them. "Sure," he nodded as he slowly made his way to the door, swinging his car keys around his index finger.

"Are you ok? Max? Hey! I'm talking to you!" Jess shouted across the car park.

Max turned to look her in the eye, "What?"

"I said are you ok? You seem a little distant,"

Turning to his car he answered her quietly, "I'm fine. Now let's get you home."

------

Jess sat surprisingly relaxed in the passenger seat leaning her head against the window to her right. Max hadn't spoken to her since they had left McDonalds and she didn't really want to interrupt his seemingly imposing thoughts.

Recognising the passing buildings the young doctor pushed herself up in her seat and watched for the familiar road signs, preparing herself to start giving the distracted man directions. As the car sped past the first signpost Jess turned to speak to him only to be silenced by the apparent 'auto-pilot' reaction of the guard to the road. He seemed to know exactly where he was going. Jess suddenly felt the familiar tug in her gut as her conscience screamed at her for being so stupid. How did he know where he was going? Sitting back in the car seat the doctor glared at her knees. She tried desperately to think of something to say, but nothing came to her mind.

She had spent all this time accusing Max of being the one who was stalking and harassing her and the moment she had begun to think otherwise she was suddenly brought crashing down to earth. As the car turned into her neighbourhood Jess felt her heart thumping hard against her ribs. The hairs stood up on the back of her neck and she could feel her head pounding. Leaning forward she began to rub her temples with her fingertips.

This was not good. Turning her head slightly to look at Max Jess silently forced herself to speak, "How come you know how to get to my neighbourhood?" He didn't answer her. Instead, his eyes stayed fixed on the road and his hands on the steering wheel. "Max? Max? How do you know…?"

Jess watched in disbelief as yet more familiar landmarks passed by the speeding car. Suddenly Max slammed on the brakes and Jess was caught abruptly in her seatbelt. As she recovered from the sudden impact with the thick black strap she felt a sudden sharp pain in her thigh. Allowing her head to fall forwards Jess hazily observed the shining tube standing perpendicular to her thigh. Leaning closer she noted the small white plunger and the blue nib pressed against her pants. Feeling the darkness creep over her from her legs upwards towards her head Jess desperately tried to keep her eyes open. Forcing her vocal chords into life the incapacitated woman lurched forwards.

"Why?" it was the only word that managed to escape her lungs before her eyes closed and her muscles surrendered to the sedative.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the original DC universe.

"Here we go!!!"

------

**The First Move**

Heavy.

With limbs like lead weights Jess felt herself being dragged rather roughly across what seemed like a gravel path. The crunching of the tiny stones under her feet seemed a whole world away as each clumsy foot fell in front of the other. Feeling her knees buckle beneath her the medicated woman fell for- what seemed to her, to be an eternity. Eventually her shins hit the ground and a small grunt escaped her lungs.

Allowing her body to fall forward the doctor manoeuvred herself onto her open palms. Swaying slightly on all fours she sighed heavily and attempted to push herself up onto her feet only to fail and collapse again. Hearing the dull footsteps behind her she slowly turned her head only to feel the blunt force of a steel toe-capped boot in her ribs. Falling forward she doubled in pain. At least she thought it was pain, she couldn't quite tell in the blurry numb state she was in.

Wondering exactly what was happening to her Jess strained to remember…anything. She remembered the wall behind her and the Joker holding her throat, the alarm, the burger and the coke. As the dazed woman pictured her meal the vivid picture of a dead mouse wearing a ribbon about its neck trespassed in her mind. The rodent was familiar. Lazily Jess tried to work out just how the mouse died. She didn't suppose it had been caught, therefore it must have been poisoned.

Poisoned.

Suddenly the image of her meal sprung into her mind, shortly followed by a picture of the Joker whooping and howling as the guard dragged him from the therapy room. A syringe. _The_ syringe.

Sluggishly the hunched woman swept her hand over her body to her leg feeling for the needle. Nothing.

As soon as she had realised there was nothing piercing her thigh she felt the hard tug of fingers in her hair. As though all time had stood still Jess felt the ground fall away from her feet and suddenly be replaced with the hard edge of a concrete step as her knees gave way once again. The scrunched fingers in her hair released their grip and heavy footsteps receded into the heavy blur slowly thickening in her head. Slowly the blur gave way to the increasing wobbly squeak of what Jess assumed to be a gurney.

Suddenly she was being bundled onto the hard, hospital bed. Forcing her eyelids to open she squinted at the ever passing single-bulbed lights above her. Where was she?

------

"Good morning!" Harleen chirped brushing her severely lightened hair out of her eyes.

"Good morn…wow!" the receptionist raised her eyebrows. "You sure look different with your hair like that. It suits you."

"Thanks, I fancied a change," the intern smiled sheepishly before pushing her way through the heavy security doors and continued on her way to the Psychiatry Department. Clutching her small bag in one hand she rummaged around inside it for her compact mirror. Flicking the small disk open she held it up to her face and turned her head to either side, inspecting her new hair colour. Smiling broadly to herself she dropped the mirror back into her clutch bag and continued through the wide hallways.

On her way to her superior's office Harleen passed Dr Cunningham's office. Stopping for a moment she pressed her ear to the wooden door. Nothing. Not a sound came from inside the room. Slowly the young woman lifted her balled fist and knocked on the door. Waiting for a reply she stood silently with her face pressed to the wood. Again nothing. Sighing she figured she was not going to get a reply. Every day for the past three days she had performed the same routine; come to work, knock on Dr Cunningham's door and wait for no answer.

"Miss Quinzel!"

Harleen spun around to face the head of the Psychiatry Department, "Sir?"

"The Joker is due for another evaluation. Obviously he is Dr Cunningham's patient and she should really be examining him, but since nobody has had sight nor sound of her in the past few days they've asked me if you would like to perform the basic examinations on behalf of her. We are aware that you are not a training psychologist but you have been working under Dr Cunningham as part of your residency? Is that right?"

"Yes sir," Harleen smiled.

"Would I be right in thinking that you've had a fair deal of contact with the Joker too?" the older man asked.

"Yes, Dr Cunningham was allowing me to study him for my thesis. He…"

"Ok then, find a guard and examine him. Make sure you write down absolutely everything, ok? I can do without the stress of her superiors getting on at me because I left you in charge. Stick to the rules! Make sure you do everything by the book!"

"Of course, sir. Thank you for giving me this…"

"I'll request them deliver him to the therapy room for you. Once you've finished bring his file to me and I will pass it on to the relevant person. Go, now!" the final two words were almost shouted, not spoken. Harleen wasn't the man's biggest fan. To be honest he scared her a little, only because he never seemed to smile and was always ordering people around. Harleen felt insignificant and insecure around him, in all honesty she preferred to spend her time at the asylum with Dr Cunningham. At least she didn't speak to her like she was a child!

All things considered it appeared that today was going to be a good day. First the change in her hair colour had made her feel different about herself, then she had managed to actually arrive at work on time, then she was given permission to interview the Joker. As soon as she thought about seeing him again she felt her stomach tighten. She hadn't been allowed anywhere near the man since Dr Cunningham had stopped turning in at work. To be honest she had started to resent her colleague, thinking that she had purposely stayed away from the hospital just to get at her in some way. What had she done wrong?

Pushing her way into the Records Room the young intern searched through the hundreds of files for the Joker's notes. Opening the brown folder she scanned each page and thoroughly revised what examinations Jess had previously performed on the Joker.

------

Tapping his fingers on the arms of the chair the Joker gazed around the room, waiting for his beloved doctor. It had been three days since he had last seen her and to be honest he had been a little confused. In the three and a half years he had been holed up in this godforsaken place he had never spent more time out of his cell than in the last three or four month since she had started working there. It was so unlike her to not to see him at least once in a three day stretch. Hearing the click of the latch he turned towards the door to greet his recently absent doctor only to be greeted by the unfamiliarly blonde intern.

Raising his eyebrows the restrained man tilted his head to the side and pouted, "Well, don't _you_ look different?"

Turning away Harleen smiled to herself and brushed her hair behind her ears. "I'm not quite sure that suits me…it's a big change," she laughed, shrugging her shoulders.

"It doesn't," the Joker said flatly. He watched as the young woman's smile faded and was replaced by utter disappointment. Pulling at the thick leather straps pinning his forearms to the chair he grimaced and rolled his eyes. "It's a big change. Perhaps it'll grow on me?" he leaned forward slightly and smiled at her, tilting his head as he did so. His effort was quickly repaid by a warm, if not slightly reluctant, half-smile spreading across the intern's face. Turning his attention to the door again he frowned, "No doctor today?"

"No," Harleen was quick to answer as she examined his file. "She didn't turn in today…again."

The final word although barely audible caught the Joker's attention, "What?"

"Huh? Oh, um she's taken a few days off and erm, well you're just going to have to put up with me for now!" she grinned while prodding her tongue with the end of her pen.

Pushing himself back into the chair the Joker lifted his head to gaze at the light above him through half-closed eyelids. Frowning he inspected the inside of his mouth with his tongue. Closing his eyes he started to shake his head, "No, no, no. I knew this would happen!"

"What?" Harleen was standing beside him with a stethoscope in her hand. "Knew what was going to happen?"

Turning his face away from her the Joker cleared his throat, "I want a doctor."

"I am…"

"_Nooo, _you're an intern. There's a difference," he turned his attention to the door once more and raised his voice, "**Get me a DOCTOR!!**"

"Please, Mr Joker…I'm more than capable of performing the necessary examinations for your evaluation. I've spent enough time with Dr Cunningham to know what I'm doing. Please?"

The sitting man slowly turned his head to glare at Harleen resulting in her taking a quick step backwards. "I never said you were incapable, Miss Quinzel. You're just…well, _you're not __**her**__ are you_? No amount of peroxide is going to change that is it?" he nodded towards her hair and raised his eyebrows expectantly. "Hmmm?"

The young intern could feel the edges of her mouth being dragged uncontrollably downwards. Turning her face away she tried to blink away the growing tears before he noticed them. As she turned away to sit on the far side of the table she pulled a hairband from her pocket and bundled her hair behind her head. Pretending to read the pages in his file she sat down and crossed her legs silently.

The pain in her chest bubbled continuously. She thought he would like the change in her hair colour. She thought he would appreciate the effort she had gone to. Instead he had thrust the knife in, so to speak, and twisted it. She had noticed that he was good at that. Sighing she let her head hang forward, wallowing in her own hurt pride. As the pain spread through her limbs she felt all her confidence drain away. She didn't understand. All her life she had been told that she was pretty, that any man would be lucky to have her at his side. Yet here she was falling for the only man alive that couldn't care less about her. Why didn't he find her irresistible like every other man she'd known? No matter how much the young trainee psychiatrist tried to work out the answer she just couldn't find one.

Eventually the pain in her heart subsided and she sat upright. Closing the file suddenly she stood up and licked her lips seductively. She didn't care if he didn't like her now. She would **make **him like her…no matter what it took!


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I do not own the Joker, Harleen Quinzel, Arkham Asylum or Gotham City.

------

**The Waking Hours**

Stiffly attempting to turn over Jess groaned; every single muscle in her body felt as though it was set in concrete. Holding her breath she propped herself up on her elbows before gripping the bare mattress beneath her and shuffling her legs against the gurney, pushing herself to sit upright. As her torso bent slightly over her thighs a dull pain forced its way between her ribs. Opening her eyes she hazily gazed around herself trying to put a name to her surroundings.

Although it was difficult to see in the half-light, Jess could just about make out the dark shape of a curtain pulled around her. Turning to see behind herself she blinked hard, forcing her eyes to focus. As her pupils customised themselves to the severe lack of light she sat swaying slightly. Her head felt thick with headache and her throat was dry, she was thirsty. Bringing her open palm to her face she rubbed her skin firmly, trying to wake herself up even just a little bit more. Gripping the cold steel of the guard rail to her right she lifted it slightly to let it drop down. As it clanked into place she slowly slid her aching legs over the edge of the gurney and lowered herself to the floor. Only when she felt the cold tiles beneath her feet did she realise that she was wearing only her underwear and a cotton surgical gown.

Clinging onto the edge of the gurney Jess almost collapsed. She was so weak. Her body felt empty. Willing her body to move she slid her feet across the cold floor, feeling her way to a countertop. Using the surface to support herself she edged her way through the heavy curtain and over to the doorway. Once there the doctor leaned against the door frame and tried to regain her breath. Every lungful of air she inhaled smelled strange…like damp or rotting wood. Feeling along the peeling wall she found a light switch. Flicking the switch she fell forward onto the wall and groaned as the uncontrollable urge to vomit rose through her throat. Opening her mouth Jess decided it was pointless to fight the sensation and promptly threw up over her own feet. Panting between wretches she looked at the pool of bile covering her toes. There was no food. How long had she been here? Where _was_ here?

Burrowing her forehead in the crook of her elbow Jess stood alone in the crumbling corridor. As her tears fell into the greenish liquid at her feet she breathed deeply. Slowly she turned to gaze down the hallway. She had to clean herself. Gradually she worked her way down the silent passageway to the toilets where she rinsed her feet in the basin. The water was far from clean and Jess decided it best to stay thirsty rather than to risk drinking it. Throwing handfuls of the grainy, brown liquid onto her face she wiped her hands through her hair and stumbled her way back out into the corridor.

It must have taken her at least twenty minutes to find it but eventually Jess found what appeared to be a nurse's station. Stumbling behind the high counter she fumbled around for…anything. All she found was dust and paperclips. Turning to the wall she gazed at the dirty floor plan of…Ward 6B.

"Ward 6B? Where the Hell am I?" her mumbled words rattled around the empty ward as she wiped the sign with her gown. "_**Arkham**_? What the…?"

Turning back towards the desk Jess slid down the wall and held her head in her hands. How could she be in Arkham? She didn't understand. This place was so incredibly quiet; it couldn't possibly the asylum…could it?

Dragging herself across the tiles she pulled herself up on the desk and slowly edged her way further down the corridor towards the large doors. They were obviously the entrance to the ward and she knew before she got to them that they would be locked, but she tried them anyway. Tugging at the large handle she shook the door violently but to no avail. Feeling her heart sink she pressed her bruised cheek against the dusty glass set into the thick wooden panels.

'This must be an old part of the hospital,' Jess concluded silently. 'Nobody knows I'm here.'

------

"Hey there!"

Harleen stopped in her tracks, "Hi…Max?"

"Yeah, I love your hair! It really suits you," the guard smiled broadly.

Harleen could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks and lowered her face to stare at the floor in embarrassment, "Thanks."

Max raised his hand to touch her chin gently, "Hey, don't be shy. You're a pretty girl, you should be proud."

Harleen gingerly lifted her face to look into the guard's eyes and smiled. "No I'm not," she searched his eyes for some kind of reassurance.

Max frowned, "Are you ok? You're usually so happy and bubbly, what's happened?"

"Oh, it's nothing…I just guess I'm a little unsure about my hair,"

"Why?"

"The Jo…it doesn't matter," she sighed.

"Has somebody said something to you? Did the Joker say something?"

Harleen turned away and kicked the skirting along the bottom of the wall, "I said it doesn't matter."

"You're fond of him aren't you?" the guard stepped towards her and whispered in her ear. Harleen couldn't disguise the guilt in her eyes as she turned to face him. "It's ok, I wont tell anyone. What did he do to upset you?"

"Nothing, he just…"

"What's the matter? Don't you trust me?" the uniformed man raised his eyebrows and tilted his head to the side.

Sighing Harleen closed her eyes briefly, "He said I was trying to be her. Then he wouldn't let me examine him, he said he wanted a real doctor."

Max slipped his arm around the young woman's shoulders and pulled her towards him, "Fuck him! What does it matter what he thinks? He's a maniac…what do you see in him?"  
"I don't know, he just…" she shrugged.

"And as for the whole wanting a real doctor thing, just forget about it ok? He's got some kind of obsession with Jess Cunningham. Don't pay him any attention. He's good at destroying people. He probably said it to get to you,"

Harleen looked up at him and smiled sheepishly, "Obsession? What do you mean?"

"He's been known to do things just to get her attention. If you ask me, I wouldn't be surprised if she had feelings for him too. She spends and awful lot of time alone with him,"

"I know," Harleen snapped.

Sensing the jealousy in the young woman's voice the guard lowered his voice once again, "You know if you're wanting to get his attention you could always give him what he wants the most."

"What?"

"What do you think the Joker wants more than anything else? Huh?"

Harleen frowned. Thinking for a moment she gazed at tiled floor, "I don't know."

"His freedom. Do you think he enjoys being kept in here like some kind of freak show?" Max turned to glance up and down the hallway, checking that they were indeed alone. "If you let him out he would owe you."

The peroxide blonde's eyes widened as a childish smile infected her lips, "But isn't that…"

"I could help you," Max interrupted. "I'm one of the Security Managers. I have keys for every door in this place, I also have access to the CCTV office. No-one would ever know it was you. And if they did find out you could always blame her."

"Dr Cunningham?"

Max nodded and stepped backwards. "Yes. You could kill two birds with one stone, so to speak." Harleen seemed confused. "Make the Joker truly appreciate you and get her out of the way."

Harleen paused for a moment as she weighed up the pros and cons of everything Max had just said to her. Finally her bright eyes pierced his own as her lips spread into a wide grin, "What do I have to do?"


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer****: **I do not own any rights to the Joker, Harleen Quinzel, Arkham Asylum or Gotham City.

I am so glad that everyone who has read this 'little' fanfic has enjoyed it so much. I assure you there is a fair bit more to come and it is all about to 'hit the fan' as it were. I hope that you all enjoy the upcoming chapters as much as you have apparently enjoyed the previous ones and please feel free to let me know what you think. So far I have received over a hundred reviews- each one a good one, and you all have no idea how happy it makes me feel to know that my imagination is bringing so much entertainment to you all!! Hehe…

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**One Step At A Time**

"Hi, this is Jess Cunningham. Unfortunately I'm not here at the moment so please a message after the beep, thanks…"

"Hi, Jess, it's me…again…please could you give me a call when you get this. Erm, ASAP. Thanks," the bearded man hung up the phone and sighed heavily.

It had almost been a week since Dr Cunningham had last been seen in the hospital and to be quite honest he was more than a little worried. In the past few days he must have left the woman thirty or so messages on her cell phone, pager and home phone but hadn't received a single reply. It was so unlike her to avoid him. Perhaps it had something to do with her altercation with the Joker during her last shift? He shook his head and placed his spectacles on the desk, pinching the bridge of his nose sharply. He just didn't know what to do. Perhaps he should call the police?

Glancing down at the employee file before him, Jess' superior ran his fingers down the list of contact numbers. Perhaps he should start with her family rather than getting GCPD involved? The last thing the asylum needed was cops shining their flashlights in every nook and cranny, the good doctor had brought enough unwanted attention to the hospital as it was. Lifting the receiver to his ear once more the psychologist started to dial the out of state number.

------

Jess felt the twinge of pain in her back as she pushed herself shakily to sit upright against the wall. Sighing heavily she attempted to swallow. Her mouth was so dry that her tongue felt thick in her jaw and she could taste the air around her. Slowly stroking her fingertips over her thighs she attempted to regain feeling in her limbs. Tiny goose pimples spread over her pale skin as her nails skimmed across the tiny hairs covering her body and she felt a cold shudder run the length of her spine. Taking a deep breath she doubled her legs beneath her body and attempted to stand upright with great difficulty.

Every once of her body felt as though it was fading away as her muscles gave in to the absolute hunger in her abdomen. She hadn't eaten for days now and it seemed that even her stomach had surrendered itself to the inevitable and no longer grumbled its dissatisfaction at the lack of sustenance. Pulling herself along the thick guard rail that ran the length of the wall Jess managed to shuffle her way along the corridor to the window.

With dark eyes, the drained doctor gazed wearily out of the smeared glass, clinging lazily to the thick iron bars that criss-crossed the window. She could barely see through the dirty glass out into the world. As she squinted tightly her eyes gradually began to distinguish between the grey sky and the white rooftops of the newer part of the hospital. Attempting to push her head through the bars she desperately strained to see more. The more she willed her eyes to focus the more she could just about make out the greyish stone wall leading down the hill to the ominous gates. She _was_ in Arkham!

Falling backwards she gripped the iron bars tightly, stopping herself from falling to the hard floor. Standing in complete silence she felt her heart sink into her feet. Her whole body seemed to deflate as the notion that nobody would ever know she was here suddenly dawned on her. She was by no means a stupid person, however in the first couple of days she had convinced herself that Max would come back for her. He hadn't. She wasn't quite sure how long she'd been here but she knew she hadn't had any visitors.

Feeling the pain twist in her heart, hot tears cascaded down her cold, pale cheeks onto the now grubby surgical gown she was wearing. As the small spots of moisture collected on the green material the isolated woman gazed heavy-heartedly at her battered legs. She couldn't quite remember being brought here but apparently she had hit something, or it had hit her…hard. Both of her shins were littered with dark, inky marks. Wiping her palm over them she hissed through gritted teeth, each bruise was still tender and the pain spread through her legs like a fire. Furrowing her brow she slid down the wall and returned to sitting on the floor.

Resigning herself to her fate Jess hung her head in dismay and sobbed quietly. Nobody knew she was here except him, and she highly doubted he was about to come and let her out. She was going to die here! Whether through starvation or dehydration…or perhaps the contractors would get to demolishing the building before she could die? Perhaps she would be crushed in the debris? Either way, she told herself she was not leaving this place unless she was in a bodybag!

------

"Hey! Get up!" the guard growled aggressively in the sleeping man's ear.

The Joker furrowed his brow, not quite understanding what was going on, "Huh?"

"I said get up!"

Strong hands grabbed the laying man by his collar and dragged him to his feet. Bundling him through the doorway in to the dimly lit corridor the hands suddenly thrust him into a wheelchair.

"Strap him in, nice and tight!"

The Joker gazed up at the second man, "_**Hiiii.**_ Long time no _seeee_ Officer _Gray_. Tell me…" he licked his lips dramatically. "How is Dr Cunningham?"

Max glared at the sitting man with such distaste that the Joker could almost feel it boring into his own eyes. It amused him to no end and he could barely control himself as he was wheeled from his ward into the sleeping hospital.

"Where _are_ we going at such a la**te** hour?" the giggling man raised his eyebrows and gazed at the ceiling. "Are we going to find my little _Je__**ster**_? _She's missing you know_." The Joker grinned widely, knowing fully well that Max understood. "You know…_Maaax,_ you really are taking this whole um…_stalking her?_...Thing…a little **too** far. Even _I _think your becoming a little too…involved…"

"Shut the fuck up!" Max's fist collided heavily with the right side of the Joker's face, resulting in a small trail of blood to break through the corner of his mouth.

"Where are we taking him?" the second guard asked abruptly.

"To the intern," Max replied flatly, "She wants to see him."

"See him?"

"Yeah, she's all goo-goo over him. Fuck knows why!"

"So what are you getting out of this?"

Max didn't answer. Instead he simply raised his eyebrows and winked at his colleague.

"Oh well, fair's fair," the second guard smiled.

The Joker prodded the inside of one of his scars with the tip of his tongue, "She is a pretty little thing, isn't she? Always strikes me as being a little insecure, don't you think?" He waited for a moment before continuing, "It seems she has an inferiority complex…always comparing herself to someone else."

"And?" Max leaned over the sitting man. "What difference does that make? A girl's a girl, right?"

The Joker rolled his eyes before sucking his lips loudly, "Personally, I prefer my dates a little more…"

"Nervous?" the second guard laughed.

"_Nooo_, I was going to say **intelligent…**"

"You talk too much!" Max snapped as he motioned for the second man to leave. "I'll take it from here."

Quickly Max opened the door and pushed the Joker inside the darkened room.

"Why do I feel like I've been in this situation before?" the Joker tilted his head to the side and glanced around the blackness. "No Batman?" he raised an eyebrow.

As Max left the room the Joker heard the door click into its frame. Waiting for the inevitable flash of white as the lights were switched on he yawned. The flash never came. Instead he felt the unusual prick in his thigh as a syringe was pushed firmly through the material of his pants. As he felt the cold liquid spread through his veins like a virus he lowered his voice to a deep growl.

"Well, hellooo Miss Quinzel,"

------

Clicking and banging invaded Jess consciousness as her mind slowly began to wake itself up. Turning to peer down the hallway Jess sleepily opened her glazed eyes. For a moment she thought she had imagined the noises but her eyes soon confirmed that her ears had been truthful as the thin white beam of a flashlight pierced through the darkness. Shading her deprived eyes from the harsh beam Jess lifted her hand to her face, but to no avail.

For a moment she thought someone had come to help her. That idea was soon quashed as the bright light was directed specifically into her eyes, blinding her temporarily.

As the heavy footsteps got nearer the doctor recognised the gait. It was him. It was Max. Shying away slightly Jess tried to regain a little composure by desperately tugging at the hem of her gown. The guard stopped in front of her, still shining the torch into her eyes. As she turned her face away she felt the hard force of the sole of a boot against the side of her head. Lacking the strength to defend herself the young woman fell to the floor.

Turning her head Jess attempted to plead with the man but her throat seemed to be broken; her throat was so dry she could hardly speak. Straining to breathe she quickly turned away as she felt the guard's boot once more, this time in her stomach. Doubling over with the force of the kick Jess coughed hard, trying to regain her breath. As she tried to support herself on her palms she felt his hand in her hair as he dragged her back down the corridor.

"Who told you you could move? Huh? Who?" he growled. Jess didn't know what to say or do. "I asked you a question!"

Jess shook her head in response and desperately tried to wet her lips, "No…no…body."

"Then get the fuck back in bed!" he bellowed throwing her onto the gurney.

Feeling the bed rock violently underneath her Jess scrambled to clutch onto the sides. Pulling her legs under her body she curled into the foetal position and stared at Max. Why was he doing this? She didn't understand, what had she done wrong?

Max turned and approached the counter at the side of the room. Lifting a small plastic box from the work-surface he opened it and tipped the contents onto the floor. Watching his hostage intently he then removed the cap from a bottle of water and hurled it at the blonde woman.

"Don't you dare!" he growled as Jess lurched forward to try and save the precious liquid. She immediately did as she was ordered and sat perfectly still, all the time watching the water pour out of the bottle onto the floor. Once he was satisfied Max turned to leave, "Now you can have it."

Jess fell to the floor scrambling towards the almost empty bottle. Drinking the remaining quarter of the water she physically felt the relief wash over her and moaned with satisfaction. Further down the hallway she heard the heavy doors being locked again as she was once more left alone in the derelict ward. Turning to peer through the frame of the stretcher she strained to see what her captor had thrown on the floor. She decided she needed to have a closer look.

Crawling across the floor slowly Jess desperately tried to lick the water from her hands. She was still so thirsty. Reaching the sloppy mess on the dirty tiles she bent stretched her aching arm out to touch it. It was wet and soft. It was food. She assumed it was from the patient kitchen and in all honesty she didn't really want to think about what it could be. All she knew was she was literally starving and he had brought it for her to eat.

Stooping down to smell the almost-liquid meal she scooped it from the dirty tiles with her fingers and shovelled it into her mouth. She couldn't tell what it was, and she wasn't really sure if cared. It was food and that was all that mattered right now.


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the rights to the Joker, Harleen Quinzel, Arkham Asylum or Gotham City.

Thanks to Lizia Heart for your PM. It was greatly appreciated, and thanks to everyone who has faved my story.

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**An Old Aquaintance**

"Ugh!" the Joker slowly shook his head from side to side smacking his scarred lips together as he did so. His head felt so fuzzy. What the hell had she given him? Opening his eyes he glanced from side to side, taking stock of his new surroundings. Where the hell was he?

Trying to sit upright he pulled at the thick straps holding him down. Rolling his eyes he sighed heavily, "Always restrained. _Does __**nobody**__ have even a __**little**__ trust in me_?"

He assumed that it was still night-time as the room around him was fairly dark and it took him a fair deal of time to notice the old-fashioned lights above him. This was entirely new to him. In the three years he had been a resident at the asylum he had never been here. He wasn't even sure he was still in the hospital. It was far too quiet for a start; no howling or screaming in the dark. He wasn't sure whether or not that was a good thing. In his time in Arkham he had grown relatively accustomed to the noises in the night and the silence didn't sit well with him.

As he lay strapped to the hospital bed the Joker began to think about the last time he saw his doctor. He thought about the way her hair smelled and the look in her eyes when he grabbed her wrist. As his memory ran away with him a small pang of regret brought him back to his present situation. He shouldn't have left her. He shouldn't have tried to prove to her that she needed him. Closing his eyes again he supposed that it didn't really matter anymore. She was probably already dead anyway!

The thought sparked fresh images of her in his mind. Grinning widely to himself the Joker began to wonder exactly how the security guard would go about killing his little Jester. She was too smart to be treated like any of his other victims, he knew that for sure. There had been reason for the first, or so he had been lucky enough to overhear. The kid, Ricky Moffett…now even _he_ couldn't quite understand that one. The Joker was just about getting to grips with possible motives for Max wanting to kill his doctor when he became painfully aware that he was being watched.

Turning his head to face his guest he smiled, "Finally, visitors!"

Small, quiet footsteps came around the edge of the doorframe and the slender silhouette of a woman stood against the dim light from the hallway. Whoever it was stood for a moment just watching him before slowly approaching him.

"Hi," the voice was soft, almost like a child's.

The Joker licked his lips, "Hi, Miss Quinzel."

"You can call me Harleen," she swept her fingers over the restrained man's hair, brushing it from his eyes. "I'm sorry about drugging you. I had no choice."

"No choice? Really? Well I am disappointed with you, and I thought you were in love with me?" the Joker pouted dramatically.

He watched as the darkened features of the girl contorted slightly as she convinced herself that she had made the wrong decision. "He said that if I did it exactly how he said that I would be able to help you…give you what you want."

The Joker frowned and sucked on his tongue, "What I want? Er, well…ah…what makes you think that you know what I want Honey?"

"You want to get out of this place," she smiled, motioning to the room around them.

"_This_ place?" the Joker looked confused. "_Sweethea__**rt**__,_ I don't even know where this place _is_…"

Feeling her face flush with embarrassment Harleen turned away giggling. "Don't be silly…Mr Joker…you're still in Arkham! You have to stay here just while they think you've escaped then he's going to let you just walk out…isn't it a good idea?"  
"You know…Harleen, I really don't know. You see…**my** ideas don't tend to be labelled as good or baaad so it makes no difference to me. If you wanna let me back out into Gotham then who am _**I **_to stop you? _Huh_? And you've obviously put a lot of…ah…thought into it…right?" he nodded. "So I guess you're not quite as stupid as people think you are…but then again…"

Suddenly the lights flickered into life and the Joker lay grinning at Harleen. The bottle-blonde woman simply smiled sweetly at him before turning to the guard standing in the doorway. "He's awake now. What do you want…?"

"Get out," Max snapped before quickly correcting his tone. "I just need to speak to him about Dr Cunningham."

"Funny world we live in isn't it officer?"

"Why?" Max frowned at the scarred man.

"I was going to ask you the very same question," the Joker smirked.

"What? DO you know something about…?" Harleen started.

"He got his goons to kill her, didn't you?" Max quipped.

The Joker tilted his head to the side as Harleen slowly attempted to lift the head end of the bed so that he could sit up. Sucking his lower lip he frowned, "_Goons_? _**No**_…no, no…**no**! Oh you've got things _all _wrong Max. _**I'm**__ not the one with the goons_…that, ah tha**t**….well that would be you!"

Harleen raised her eyebrows then frowned as she realised that she didn't really understand what he was talking about, "What does he mean?"

"Nothing! He's full of shit, as usual. Make sure he can't get off that bed, do you understand me?"

"Yes," Harleen forced a smile.

As Max walked out of the room and back down the hallway the Joker turned to look at Harleen, "You do know that he's going to kill you, right?"

"No he's not Mr J," she laughed. "He's just trying to help me to help you."

"I didn't order anyone to kill her you know…I wouldn't be surprised if she was already rotting somewhere!" the Joker chuckled slightly before clearing his throat.

"He's not like that," Harleen said quietly. "Dr Cunningham has put ideas into your head, you've started to believe her delusions, but I'm going to help you. You see if you take me with you when you leave then I'll be able to help you without the hospital being in charge…without her!"

"Without…_heeer_? I assume you're talking about Jester, right?" he saw the confusion wash over her face. "Dr Cunningham. Why would I want her to stop treating me? Huh? She's the best doctor I've had…she's extremely good at what she does. You should pay attention to her."

Harleen turned away before he could see the resentment in her eyes. He was always so praising about her yet all he ever said about her was that her hair didn't look right and that her perfume didn't suit her. God how she hated her missing colleague for making him think that way about her. It wasn't fair! He was supposed to like her not Doctor Cunningham!

"Well she's not here now is she?" she heard herself snap at him.

The Joker was a little surprised, "I see you've been paying more attention to her than it first seems. Haha…ha ha hehehe!"

"Why are you laughing at me?"

"Because you just don't get it, you are going to live in her shadow for the rest of your life…"

"No I'm not!" Harleen squealed.

"No!" the Joker spluttered. "God no, of course not! I just mean that I know that you will never let this whole jealousy thing drop."

Harleen's eyes fixed coldly on his face, "Jealousy?"

"What? Did you think I hadn't noticed? Of course I noticed…it's not every day you get a young thing," he raised his eyebrows and nodded towards her, "going out of their way just to see you… But you can't stand the fact that she can see me whenever she wants to, can you? You couldn't stand it when she asked to be alone with me the other day, could you?…I saw it in your eyes! You're at a loss when it comes to her and you don't like it. You're selfish"

The young woman was visibly growing smaller with every word that left his lips, "Selfish?"

"Yeah…let me guess…you've always got what you wanted, right? I blame the parents!" the Joker stated. "_Did Daddy_ _tell you that you were pretty_? _**Huh**_?" Harleen didn't answer him. Instead the crumbling woman turned away and started to leave the room. As she reached the door the Joker continued, "Your Daddy was right…you are pretty! But you need to learn that looks aren't everything Honey…believe, me I know!"

------

Coughing violently Jess lurched forward on the creaking gurney. With every forced breath she could feel her lungs aching heavily in her chest. The cold, dusty air around her abused her chest as she desperately tried to breathe. Feeling the static air catch in her throat the young doctor wretched over her knees. There was no vomit this time but Jess was unsure whether that was a good thing or not.

Pushing her tangled hair behind her ear she slowly edged her way off of the stretcher and inched her way across the cold tiles to the doorway. Clinging to the rotting wood the doctor leaned into the dark corridor and peered towards the main entrance to the abandoned ward. She wasn't quite sure what she wanted to do. Her aching body was telling her faintly that she needed to relieve herself but her weary mind was telling her to stay where she was. The last thing she wanted was for Max to come back and catch her out of bed again. Glancing back at the grubby gurney Jess made her choice. She had already humiliated herself by scraping leftovers from the filthy tiles to feed herself and she was not prepared to go one step further by urinating on the floor. Slowly she edged her way into the dark and shuffled along the hallway to the toilets.

Once safely locked in the tiny cubicle Jess pulled her panties over her knees and sat on the cracked seat. Feeling her body begin to relax as the warm relief spread through her abdomen and legs she became increasingly aware of just how cold she was. He had left her with no blankets and the young doctor wondered silently whether or not she would be lucky enough to find any elsewhere in the ward. Standing slowly she reached to press the flush and tugged at the small silvery bolt securing the door.

Stopping for a moment Jess ran her hands under the dirty water and wiped her open palm over the mirror before her. Peering into her own reflected eyes the doctor wondered what it was exactly that she had done to deserve all of this. She couldn't think of anything and so stood in silence watching a single tear make its way over her dirty face. Sighing heavily she hoped to God that somebody would come to get her…somebody other than Max!

------

Well this was fun! The Joker stared intently at the old lights above him before lowering his face to gaze at the open doorway in front of him. In all honesty he was kind of wondering when the wonderfully naive intern was going to return to him. He got the feeling that his words had hit a few raw nerves in their previous conversation and was itching to reap the benefits of the girl's broken spirit.

So, the girl was willing to risk everything to set him free? Well, that had been a turn up for the books! Chuckling to himself the Joker closed his eyes and imagined the outside world. It had been so long since he had seen the streets of Gotham, so long since he had felt the excitement of utter chaos bubbling within him. Glancing around the dusty room he got the intense feeling that what Harleen had told him was not the full story. According to her Max was simply going to keep him here until the alarm was raised that he was missing and that he had escaped, but if that were true then what did the second guard have to do with anything? He wasn't sure. All he knew was that somewhere deep inside his gut was a feeling that didn't sit nicely with him. The feeling of uncertainty.

Of course if all this had been his own plan the Joker was sure that he would feel differently, however being left bound to a gurney at the will of another wasn't really what he would have suggested as a decent step in his escape. Nevertheless he supposed that at the moment there was nothing he could really do to swing the odds in his favour.

Clearing his throat the restrained man tilted his head slightly and frowned. What was that noise? Peering into the darkness beyond the doorframe he willed his ears to heighten their ability and tried to identify the slow scraping sound coming from elsewhere in the darkness. As the low noise came ever closer the Joker prepared himself for the return of his new plaything. Instead, the sight that presented itself to him almost shocked the Joker.

"I guess you're not dead then?" he grinned as his dark eyes scanned over the shockingly dishevelled doctor. He noted the bruises covering her skin and the dark smears of blood streaked across her cheek as he cleared his throat harshly. "You look tired!"

Clinging to the doorframe Jess felt her knees give way and she hit the floor hard. Widening her blue eyes she glared at her patient, "What…are…" She could barely speak. The words were cracked and broken as she swayed in the doorway. "Why?"

"Am I here?" the Joker purred warmly. "Apparently I'm escaping…how about you?" He licked his lips

Jess looked around herself before slowly beginning to crawl across the tiles toward the Joker, "I need a blanket."

"Huh?" the Joker frowned, confused. "A blanket?"

"I'm cold," the pale woman dragged herself over the floor towards him. "I've been here for a couple of days without anything…"

"A couple of days? Oh my little Jester…are you really that confused? Has he deprived you so well?"

"What?" Jess coughed as she struggled to stand beside the Joker.

"You've been here almost a week,"

Jess felt her heart sink like a tonne of bricks as she realised that nobody was looking for her. Surely they would have found her by now? She lowered her eyes to the floor and fought back the tears. Suddenly feeling as though the floor had been ripped from beneath her feet Jess felt time stand still as she relinquished herself to the darkness once again.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with the Joker or Harleen Quinzel.

Thank you to everyone who has been so kind as to keep reading my little fic and taken the time to review. I appreciate all your support and comments. I am so proud that this story has become so successful and that I can say that I wrote it!! Yay!

Happy New Year!!

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**A Little Goes A Long Way**

Through the thin haze of weakness Jess felt her body being dragged along the cold, hard tiles beneath her and slowly flickered her eyes open to stare dryly at the passing black and whitish squares. Lifting her head slightly she attempted to focus on her trailing fingers sprawled in front of her. Suddenly the pressure around her ankles released and her kneecaps hit the floor for the third time that day. Groaning slightly in disapproval the young doctor twisted to see her man-handler. Her eyes were greeted by the looming silhouette of a female leaning over her.

"Harleen?" Jess coughed dryly as the woman pulled her roughly towards the wall and forced her wrists around the pipes of an old-fashioned radiator, fastening them firmly together with a plastic cable-tie. "What are you doing?"

Turning her face away the woman pulled the cable-tie as tight as Jess' wrists would allow, nipping the restrained woman's skin causing her to inhale sharply through gritted teeth. Attempting to twist her hands free Jess moved her bound arms along the cold pipe, but to no avail.

"Here," the woman whispered, pulling Jess' head back and pouring a fair amount of cold water into her parched mouth. "You should drink this."

"Why?" Jess spluttered. "Why are you doing this?"

The woman stood upright and blinked. "He…he said that if I helped him then he could help me…" she turned towards the Joker in the centre of the room. Jess lifted her head to follow her gaze.

"Harleen,"

The intern turned back to her hostage, "What?"

"Why is he doing this to me?"

Frowning, the bottle-blonde shook her head, "What do you mean?"

"Why has he brought me here? Why is he keeping me here? Surely you must know…"

"No. He just said that he could help me and that I should do as he asks. I don't know why he's doing this…whatever 'this' is."

With that the younger of the women walked confidently to the open door before glancing back towards the two restrained individuals behind her. He was going to be happy with her. Not only had she done as he had asked, she had also found the doctor and managed to secure her to an immovable object. Smiling she cocked her head to the side, "If I were you, Doctor, I would try to get some rest…you look shocking!"

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"Could you tell us when was the last time you saw Jess Cunningham, Officer Gray?" the first uniformed man raised his eyebrows and licked the nib of his pencil before resting it lightly on the blank notepad.

Shaking his head the guard glanced quickly at the old, ramshackle building behind the police officers, "I took her home last week…Thursday, I think. I could be wrong. Either way the CCTV would have picked us up in the parking lot. I haven't seen her since then."

"Really?" the officer scribbled something onto the clean white paper before continuing, "How would you describe the doctor's behaviour recently?"

Max frowned slightly and allowed his lips to descend at either end, "Erm, I don't know. She's been under a fair amount of pressure recently; what with the photos and presents every day. To my knowledge she wasn't eating well…In fact I took her to McDonalds the night I drove her home."

Again the officer wrote something into his pad before nodding towards the second officer. "So she had an admirer?" The second man enquired.

"I wouldn't say and admirer…I don't know. All I was told was to ensure that her privacy was maintained during her hours of work here at the hospital. Did I do something wrong Officers?"

"Oh no," the first officer smiled. "We just need to set a groundwork for our investigation. At the moment we have no leads so everyone is a suspect."

"I know, I just…I suppose I don't really understand everything that's going on," Max frowned. "She always kept herself to herself. With the exception of the last time I saw her I don't think she ever socialised with any of the other staff. She was quite a private person. Friendly but private."

"Were you close?"

"No," Max shook his head and lowered his eyes to the ground. "I would be lying if I said we were friends. Truth be told, we didn't really get along. I tried to get to know her better but she made it very clear that she wasn't interested."

"How did that make you feel?" the second officer tilted his head to the side.

Pouting his lips slightly Max glanced at the building behind the two uniformed men, "What do you mean? I wasn't really bothered. I only wanted to make her feel welcome here at Arkham, she wanted to keep us all at arm's length so who are we to complain? Each to their own I say. She was a very strong willed woman. Made some very big decisions regarding the patients…against better advice. But, I suppose she knew what she was doing…"

"Knew?"

"Yes…"

"Don't you mean 'know'?"

"Huh?"

"You said you supposed that she knew what she was doing," the first officer lowered his pad and raised his head. "Is there something you're not telling us Officer?"

"Something I'm not telling you? No. Why? Are you insinuating that I'm holding back information regarding Dr Cunningham's disappearance?"

The two police officers glanced at one another briefly before the second cleared his throat, "We're not accusing you of anything, but we have to be absolutely sure about everything. A missing person is a serious matter, especially when the person is closely affiliated to Gotham's most notorious serial killer."  
"Closely affiliated?"

"Dr Cunningham is the treating psychologist to the Joker isn't she?" the second officer enquired.

"Er, yeah," Max feigned confusion. "Are you saying that he has something to do with this?

"We can't be sure of anything at the moment. Like I said, we have no leads as of yet,"

"But we can't rule anything out. Thank you for your time Officer, that will be all for now. We'll be in touch if we need to speak to you again," the first officer smiled and touched his colleague's arm lightly. Both men nodded and turned back towards their patrol car. Max stood silently watching as the white car passed him and made its way down the hill towards the iron gates.

------

The dull ache in her neck had slowly progressed half way down her spine as Jess stiffly adjusted her position beside the cold radiator. Rolling her head from shoulder to shoulder she groaned slightly before allowing her head to fall forward and lifting her pupils to fully take stock of the room around her.

Dark stains streaked the flaky cream-painted walls and damp patches speckled the ceiling above her. Old-fashioned single-bulb lamps hung from long lengths of wire and the large dust covered domes directed the dim light onto the dirty floor in large pools. The room itself was considerably larger than the one she had been ordered to stay in but just as littered with debris and various forgotten medical instruments and supplies.

Turning to gaze at her companion the young doctor twisted slightly, attempting to pull her legs from beneath her. Why was he here? Blinking hard Jess attempted to shuffle her thoughts into some kind of order. Perhaps he wasn't here. Perhaps he was simply a figment of her imagination. How could she be sure he was real? After all, she had been left here alone for a week or so without food or water until today. It wouldn't have surprised her if she was suffering from dehydration and therefore deliriousness.

Clearing her throat slightly the woman lifted her head slightly and began to speak to her apparent apparition, "So? Why are you here?"

The Joker lifted his scarred face to look directly at her, "Haven't we already had this conversation?"

Jess frowned, "Have we?"

"Uhuuuh," he hummed, dropping his head forward to peer at her from beneath his eyebrows.

"Ha," Jess smiled wryly. "Oh, wait…you're 'escaping'."

An amused grin stretched across the restrained man's face and he laughed silently to himself, "That's what I'm told."

"What?" Jess sighed heavily.

Rolling his eyes the Joker swallowed, "I…like you…was brought here against my will. Well, I say that but what I _reeeally_ mean is that I _didn't really have a cho__**ice**_, you know? I'm guessing _**your**_ journey was a little less, um…shall we say, _relaxed_?"

The doctor looked down at her bare legs and noted the dark, inky marks littered across her skin. Shaking her head slightly she sighed and turned her face away. The Joker felt something inside his chest heave as a single tear rolled over her dirty cheek and fell from her chin onto the gown concealing her barely clothed body. Frowning he bit his lower lip and closed his eyes, pretending not to have seen her moment of weakness.

"You know…" his voice reduced itself to a low growl, "I'm surprised he even tied to take you…what with me warning him an' all."

"Huh?"

"Oh please, don't tell me that you don't remember me assuring you that he wouldn't kill you?"

"Of cour…"

"Hahaha! I should know better than to underestimate you, my little Jester!" the Joker grinned widely. "Even in a situation like this you're still as level headed as ever. Still '_in __**control**__'_! You know, I never told you just how much I admire you."

"Admire me?" Jess breathed, frowning.

"Hmmm, admire you. Your way of…'getting things done'. You're a very wilful person when you wanna be. But there's _**always**_ that tiiiny glimmer of _un__**cert**__ain__**ty**_**yy** just sitting behind your baby blues. **What**? Did you think I hadn't noticed?...Did you think _**heee**_ hadn't noticed?"

Jess shuffled slightly, attempting to wedge herself against the wall, "You admire me because I'm strong-willed and uncertain?"

"Well, there's that and the fact that you're apparently a glutton for punishment!" his tongue glided over his lips quickly. "To a guy like me you're just perfect! Hahahe hehe!"

The doctor shook her head in disapproval and tutted to herself. If he was just a figment of her imagination then her imagination was surprisingly observant. "I'm so glad that the Joker finds me attractive!" the statement was laced with sarcasm as she turned to stare at the thin strip of plastic around her reddening wrists.

"I didn't say th**at**, I said a guy _**like**_ me," he purred.

Pulling at her restraint Jess growled in frustration. "How long have you been here?" she grumbled.

"Me?"

"Well, I don't see anyone else here! Do you?" she snapped, quickly catching her tongue. "You said I'd been here a week. How do you know that?"

"You've been missing for a week. In fact the last time anyone saw you was after we ah…had our little…_momen__**t**_…"

Jess breathed heavily through her nose, "Why is this happening to me?"  
The Joker looked around himself before turning back to face the sitting woman, "How should I know? _I'm_ not keeping you hostage."

"But you can…"

"I can what? Empathise with him? See it from his point of view?" the Joker sneered. "I'm not really a hostage kinda man…"

"No, you prefer to kill them don't you?"

He tilted his head to the side and raised his eyebrows, "As apposed to dragging it out…like this?..._**Yeah**_. I don't see the point in delaying the inevitable. Sure it probably serves as some kind of entertainment, but the what's the point…if there _is __**no**_point? Hmm? Why make the effort if no-one will appreciate it?" He watched as Jess facial expression flickered between disgust and disbelief. "Sometimes, my little Jester…sometimes killing is necessary. Sometimes it is called for."

"Are you trying to justify what you did to Gotham?"

"**Justify**? No, **no**!" he shook his head. "I wouldn't _dreeeam_ of it!"

"Then how can you say that?"

"_Because it's true_," he nodded his head slowly.

Jess lowered her eyes to the floor and shook her head slowly, "No it's not. Murder is never necessary! Only someone like…"

"Like **me**?"

The young woman stopped speaking and glared at her patient, "You know what I mean."

Smiling the Joker licked the corners of his mouth slowly, "_Yeah_…I know exa**ct**ly what you mean. Tell me something Jester…_do I scare you_?"

Jess tilted her head to the side, "Scare me?"

"Yeah. When I had you by the throat…_in that room_…did I scare you?" he watched her face closely for any sign of agreement. With every second that passed he could feel the spring inside him slowly tightening, willing her to say yes.

Staring at his scarred features Jess recalled the moment he had pressed his palm around her throat. As every tiny emotion filtered through her hazed brain she felt her breathing deepen. "No," she answered him flatly.

His permanent smile broadened as some kind of emotion flushed through his veins and he nibbled the dry skin of his lower lip, "_**Really**_?"

"Does that surprise you?"

Pouting, the restrained man attempted to lean forward against the leather straps spanning his chest and arms. "No," one corner of his mouth turned upwards into a slight smirk. "I wouldn't have expected anything less from you. Like I said, you're very strong willed when you want to be. I bet your parents are real proud of you becoming a top-notch shrink an' all?"

"I wouldn't say I was top-notch," Jess sighed. "I mean look at me. For months I've been convincing myself that you were wrong about Max because you're…"

"_Insane_?" the Joker offered. "Oh, no wait a minute…you already told me that I'm not insane…right?" He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

Jess frowned, "Because you're a patient…And look where common sense got me! Tied to a goddamn radiator, in a filthy God forsaken abandoned ward by a psychotic security guard! Not only that but I'm sat discussing it all with you!…The most dangerous man in Gotham City…the bloody Joker!"

"Hm. Well…_if it's any consolation_, _I _didn't want to be here _**ei**__ther_,"

"Huh?"

"Come on _Je__**ster**_! _**This**_ or my own padded room? I'd go for the excessive furnishings every time!" he grinned. "They don't even have _**heating**_ here!"

Jess laughed slightly at his sarcasm. "I know, I'm freezing. I would give anything for a blanket."

The Joker stared at his doctor intently. His dark eyes skirted up her abused legs and over the grubby surgical gown to her dirty face. Her skin was pale and her blue eyes no longer sparkled, instead they were dead of all emotion and engulfed by thick circles of black. She was obviously tired, and he didn't have to guess that she was hungry. He could see the recently moistened skin of her lips had begun to crack and peel from lack of water, and he assumed that the water Harleen had so eagerly poured into his doctor's mouth had been the first drink she had taken in the last week. Her long blonde hair was thick with grime and grease through lack of washing and hung limply in front of her blood smeared face. All in all she was a true mess. But still the image of her sitting alone, bound to a cold, hard radiator with utter exhaustion seeping from every pore evoked some kind of admiration in the Joker. The sight of her restrained, utterly helpless, waiting to die was indeed a spectacular one. She was _**beautiful**_.

Slowly Jess lifted her head to gaze at her companion and smiled half-heartedly, "He's going to kill me isn't he?" The Joker didn't answer her. "He's going to kill me, and there's nothing anyone can do about it."

A heavy sigh escaped the Joker's lungs and he heard his own voice rumble through the dusty air, "_I've __**already**__ told you_…_**I **__**won't**____**let**____**him**_!"


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: The usual…the Joker, not mine…Harleen, not mine!

Once again, thank you all for making my story so welcome, and thank you for letting me know just how much you are all enjoying the plot. I really appreciate your views and I'm so glad that you all like the way I am writing the Joker. It seems that we are all agreed on how the Joker should behave and I am glad that my style of writing him has been so well received.

A little note to those of you who have pointed it out…yes she would probably be a whole lot more ill having not drank for a week so I apologise for the stretch of your imaginations, I was wrong. Although I hope that you can overlook my mistake and forgive me? Saying that the film Touching the Void is about a guy who couldn't drink for around a week, admittedly he was on a mountain and ate the snow…anyhow, rambling now…I just wanted to give her reason to doubt her self.

; )

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**Heart to Heart**

"You wont _let_ him? Huh! How the hell do you intend on stopping him?" Jess shook her head slowly. "You're hardly in a position…"

"You know…" the Joker sucked his tongue, "I remember a young doctor once stating that a little trust can go a long way…what happened? _D'ya lose your nerve_?"

"My nerve? It's got nothing to do with my nerve…In case it's…escaped your attention, you're strapped down," she panted, desperately trying to ignore her sudden need to vomit.

She did have a point and the Joker resented every word. There _was_ nothing he could do to change their present situation and even less he could do to control their immediate future. Gazing at her from his horizontal pedestal he quickly flicked his pupils to glare at the mouldy ceiling while possible means of escape sprinted through his mind. Every thought that presented itself was quickly dismissed. To be honest, he wasn't particularly happy about the whole situation. The only way he would get loose would be at the hand of someone else, that whole idea seemed a little too _dependent _to him. He disliked many things and being dependent on other people was definitely on his list.

"You know, you're lucky to be _breeeathing_, Jester," he ventured quietly. "I mean…um…you've been holed up in here for _**how long**_? Almost a **week**? And you don't appear to have received the ah…five-star _tre__**at**__me__**nt**_…**so far**…What I'm trying to say is that I'm surprised you're _even aliiive_. A lesser person would have given up long before now!"

Jess turned her face towards him, "A lesser person would have the right idea."

"Oh come now Jest_eeer_, there's more to you than _**that**_," the depraved man tilted his head to the side and peered at her from beneath his brow, scraping his teeth over his lower lip. "Look on the bright side…"

"_Bright side_?"

"_At least we're __**together**__…right_?" he winked.

Jess shook her head in disbelief, "Why is he doing this to me? What did I do wrong?"

"Perhaps…perhaps you pissed him off with all the 'I'm a doctor!' stuff. I told you he doesn't like to be questioned. But…I have been known to be wrong. _Not often_…but still…"

"When have you been wrong?"

The Joker thought for a moment before answering her, "I was wrong about you. I thought you needed to be taught a lesson…just like he does…but I was wrong." He raised his eyebrows and shook his head. "You see, you and me…we're alike. We're not the same, but we're alike."

Jess stared blankly at him.

"We both like to be _in_ _cont__**roool**_. Admittedly, you probably go about it in a more _'civiliiised'_ way…but still, it's the **same thing.** You're a **very** intelligent woman Doctor Cunningham, and that is what sets you apart from the other…shall we say, _lapdogs_?"

"Lapdogs?"

"Hmm," he agreed. "For example, our dear Miss Quinzel. Now there's a lapdog!"

"What?" Jess frowned.

"Ha! She bounces around like a child and smiiiles all…the…time! She constantly craves attention. Heh, she came to see me after we were introduced…came to, ah, came to _test the water_, so to speak. She's a pretty little thing. And she knows it. She can't **stand** it when she doesn't get the response she so _de__**sp**__erately_ needs. How do you like her new hair?"

"Hair?"

"Mmmm, she's jealous of you. So very jealous of you!"

"Don't be st…"

"I think it's funny!" he rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "She wants so badly to be noticed…to be _ac__**cepted! **_So badly that she even dyed her hair to look like you…funny old world isn't it, Jester? She followed you around trying to be good at her job, to be a credit to you until she realised that you had something that she wanted."  
"What are you talking about, Joker? I don't understand…"

"You had _**meee**_!" he purred.

"You?"

"Hmm," he raised his eyebrows quickly. "She tried so hard to make you trust her and leave her alone with me. You see, the lapdog…she wants me to notice her. Wants me to tell her the things that I tell you. To confide in her."

"You don't confide in me,"

"Hehaha! _**I know that**_…but she doesn't! That's what makes it so much fun! **She has no clue**! So…trying to get my attention she decides to help out our resident psychopath…_and I __**don't**__ mean me_. Although technically it _is_ me that she's doing it all for. Heh. To be honest, I don't really care if I rot in here. But this is just so goddamn entertaining!" he swallowed hard. "Obviously, your situation is a little more…hmmm…_difficu__**lt**_? Still, in her eyes, getting shot of you is leaving the field open for herself…Right? But let's face it Jester, you're a tough act to follow! Max, on the other hand doesn't give a damn what the hell happens. He's probably gonna kill all of us. Her especially. I mean…she knows where you are…doesn't she? She doesn't realise she's a bloody liability. If I were him she'd be dead by tomorrow. You look shocked…isn't this the kinda stuff you've been trying to prise from my lips since you got here? Huh? _Isn't this all the things you wanted to write down about me_? **I'm not insane, not at aaall**. But I will admit that I'm hardly a pillar of sanity! I know what I do is wrong…and perhaps a little _melodramatic_…but I have nothing better to do with my time and it's all _so much __**fun**_! Sometimes…what I do…is called for. Sometimes it is necessary to weed out the ah…liars and the _scoundrels._ Max for example, he is just asking for my **attention**. He's practically **begging** me to watch his life drain through my, my _fin__**geeers**_…He knows exactly what he's heading for…why the hell do you think I'm here? Hmm? For company? Ha! No! Nooo, I'm here so that he knows _**exactly**_ where I am _all of the time_. You see, when I told you that I _wouldn't let him kill you_…**I meant it**. He knows that if you die, _so will __**he**_**.** _And I'd bet that he's more afraid of dying than you are…_he may like to throw his weight around and act like the top dog…but he knows that when it comes to you…_**he's **__**way**__** out of his league**_!"

"Out of his league?" Jess voice cracked slightly as the words fought their way past her lips.

"_I warned him_. I warned his little…laaapdog too…not Harleen…no, he has more little puppies playing obedience to him. They know exactly which side of the line to stand on, but they **will** break eventually. _A hungry dog has an agenda of its own_…especially when there's meat on the table. You _**can**__**'t**_ trust anybody! Nobody is loyal forever. And those who claim they are…well they're just stupid. Like Miss Quinzel. She thinks he's gonna let me walk out of here with her after all this is over…Hm! Just how naïve can one girl be?" he rolled his eyes dramatically.

"She's just misguided, that's all," Jess interjected.

"Misguided? Jesus! She more than that! Have you forgotten who tied you to that thing?" he nodded towards the radiator. "You're far too forgiving when it comes to her. I wouldn't be."

"I thought you liked her?"

"HA!" he burst. "_Liked? __**Liked**_**?** GOD! She's eye candy, nothing more! No, no **no!** I prefer my women with a little more…_fight in them_." He stared hard at her face, watching as her lower lip was caught between her teeth. "She's hardly going to be nominated for a Nobel Prize now is she? Not the brightest bulb in the box, but hey! She's a woman…and she's _game_!"

"Agh," Jess turned away from the grinning man. "Men! You're all the same!"

"Is it me or do you seem a little upset about my last comment?" the Joker licked his scars slowly.

"Why would I be upset?"

Raising his eyebrows he sighed heavily, "You tell me." A moment passed before the restrained man decided to continue, "I wonder how he will get rid of our…_bodies_?"

"What?!" Jess couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Doesn't it interest you? Don't you wonder what he's going to do to us? _To you_?"

"I don't really care!" she snapped. "I'm not like you, I don't feel the need to analyse his method and compare it…"

"Analyse? Who said I was analysing? It was only a question, a thought,"

"Well, keep your thoughts to yourself! I don't wanna hear them!"

"_**Do you wanna know how all of this started**_?" the Joker lowered his voice to a low rumble and waited for her to give him her attention. Sucking is tongue loudly he pouted, "He was stealing from the pharmacy."

"What?" Jess was astounded. Was he telling the truth? Did he really know why Max had started all of this?

"_The old guy_…well, he found out you see. And he…well he didn't get it do anything about it…as you know. He used _me_ as a cover…_changed my dosage_…no-one noticed…that's where you come in, Jester. **You noticed**! _He didn't like that_. _N__**ot**__. One. B__**it**__._ When you stopped my meds he didn't have his little…_**loophole…**_you stood up to him. You made **ruuules**! Rules that he couldn't break. You stopped the incessant beatings…which might I say were probably to remind me who the 'top dog' was. As soon as I was 'clean' and drug-free…well, that's when he panicked. _**Hence the kid all over the walls!**_ He tried to frame me…but he didn't anticipate you did he? Huh? You were quick off the mark to point out my whole _m__**ax**__imum security_ thing…murder never goes to plan if you panic. Remember that! You were too good for him…you **still **are. And he knows that. He knows he's gone too far now. He's got a taste for killing and now he wants **you**! _Me…well I'm just in the way_…he doesn't know what to do with me. He wants to kill me but he's scared! He's scared of what _I _could do to _him_. Why do you think he ordered her to strap me down, huh? Why didn't he just tell me to kill you?"

Jess frowned, "I don't know."

"Because he knows that I can't," the Joker growled, his broad scars twitching with frustration. "I wasn't lying when I said I wanted to kill you. Believe me, I _dooo_. But…I just can't! _There's something about you Jester_…something that I just can't figure out. Something that pulls at my conscience. _**Tell me**_…if I put a knife to your throat, what would you do?"

Jess stared at him in disbelief. What the hell was he talking about?

"Would you cry? Would you beg me to let you live?...Nooo…I don't think you would. I think you'd probably just let the knife flirt with your jugular, wouldn't you? You wouldn't say a word," he breathed heavily through his nose. "Now, what if he did the same thing to you? What would you do then, hmm?"

Jess felt her heart beating in her throat, what was he trying to do? Scare her?

"I think you'd fight back…you'd have to fight back! You've got too much pride to give up but I don't think you'd just let _him_ kill you, would you?"

"No," she murmured.

"You see now…that's why I call you it…_**Jester**_. Because I'm the only one that sees it in you. That need to survive…that need to beat him at his own game. You see…_now you're not gonna like this_…he **will **come for you…and _you're right_, I can't stop him. Not like this," he motioned to the straps. "But you have something behind your pretty blues that screams of desperation…something other than what the rest of the world see…and…like a rat in a corner- even though you'd like to disagree, you will fight back and you _**will**_ have to make the decision whether or not to **kill** him!! You once asked me why I am the way I am…I'm telling you now…you my little Jester…you will find out soon enough what makes a man do the things I've done. What turns them into…_this_…you'll discover the true root of all, dare I say it, _**evil**_. You will have to make a decision, and like I told the Batman…you'll have break your own rules. You'll have to be just…like…me! Not bothered by consequence or morality. You'll find out first hand just how _depraaav__**ed**_a human being can be…Tell me Jester…" he noted the look on her face. "_**Why so serious**_?"


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: The Joker and Harleen Quinzel (ie Harley Quinn) are not mine…I simply make them do what I want!! Hehe!

Just a little one…oh and you all going to hate me!! Hehe!

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**A Prelude to Death**

**BANG!**

The sound echoed down the empty hallways and into the dusty room, visibly suprising both of the hostages. As the sound dissipated into the darkness the sound of hard footsteps clicked their way ever closer to the waiting couple.

The Joker rolled his head from side to side over the backrest of the bed. His dark eyes found themselves concerning themselves with his ever increasingly tense doctor huddled against the wall. He watched as surprise quickly turned into worry before she turned to look at him.

"It's showtime," the scarred man purred quietly, knowing that his companion could hear him.

As Max rounded the door frame Jess turned her attention to him. Was this it? Was the Joker right? Had he come for her?

"I see you've been a naughty girl," the guard growled. "What did I tell you? Huh? WHAT?"

The Joker watched as Jess started trembling, she was scared. He was surprised.

"To stay…"

"I'm sorry, what? You're mumbling,"

Jess lifted her head to look directly into Max's eyes and raised her voice, "To stay on the bed. I'm sorry, I was so cold and I needed to…"

Suddenly she felt his open palm collide with the side of her face. As the stinging heat spread through her cheek she tried to turn away from him but her bound wrists made it impossible.

"When are you going to realise that you do as you're told? HUH? When?" Max yelled at her before spitting on her. "You're pathetic! You don't even realise when you're beaten! Too long have you ordered me around, told me that I'm wrong…that my opinion doesn't count. You doctors think that you can just treat us like shit! Well, it's about time you were taught a lesson! I thought Brightside was bad enough but Jesus, you're the devil himself!!"  
"I'm sorry," Jess practically coughed the words.

"Sorry? SORRY? Sorry isn't good enough, Jess! It's too late for that! Far too late!"

The sitting woman lifted her head and attempted to shake the dank hair from her eyes, "Why are you doing this to me Max?"

"Why?" he loomed over her. "Because I can. Because you behave like you're better than anyone else around here. You make ridiculous decisions regarding your patients and you put us all at risk!" He turned to point at the Joker. "He is a monster, and you set him free!"

Jess watched the Joker raise his eyebrows sarcastically, roll his eyes and shake his head while prodding his upper teeth with his tongue, before silently mouthing the words, "I'm not a monster."

"Set him free?" Jess repeated questioningly.

"You stopped his medication, you took away his restraints…and look what happened…he murdered my colleague and friend! All because you wouldn't listen!"

"Hey!" the Joker boomed from behind him. "You can't blame her for your guy dying. _That was your __**own fault**_. You shouldn't have killed the boy…or should I say you shouldn't have tried to frame me for it. What the hell possessed you? Huh? You say that I'm a monster…I didn't plaster a kid's insides all over his room and his friend…"

"Shut the fuck up!" Max marched across the tiles and punched the Joker hard in the face, drawing a heinous grin from his lips.

"You can't hurt me Max. There is nothing you can do that hasn't already been done to me at some point or another!!" the victimised man giggled. "Come on…hit me again!"

"Hit you? I ought to fucking kill you for the things you've done to me!"

Suddenly the Joker was confused, "What things?"

"Max what did he do?"

"My brother was a police officer…he was stationed in GCPD cells on the night you killed Rachel Dawes."

The Joker's frown slowly faded away as the question he thought he already knew the answer to was suddenly torn from his mind. Slowly a thick grin spread across the Joker's face as he realised exactly what was going on, "Oh…Apparently this is all my fault."

"What?" Jess sighed. "Joker? Max? What's going on?"

"Tell her what you did, tell her!" Max ordered.

"Hehehehe, haha, I blew the place to kingdom come!! Let me guess…did he die?"

Another fist pummelled hard this time into his stomach and suddenly the Joker was laying on his side almost on the floor. Max stood up and rounded the toppled bed. Breathing heavily he kicked the Joker repeatedly in the stomach and chest before dragging the gurney back onto its wheels.

"You started this Joker…you took him from me and now I'm gonna take her from you!" Max turned to face the quivering woman.

"Take her from me? _What makes you think I want her_? Hmm?"

"Everyone sees the way you look at her Joker! You watch her like…like…"

"Like you did? You know when you first met her?"

Jess frowned at glared first at the Joker ant then at Max. What the hell was going on? "Wait a minute, I thought you said this was all about drugs?"  
"Drugs?" Max spun back to the Joker who simply shrugged his shoulders as best he could.

"Sorry…was she not supposed to know?" the sarcasm seemed to cut the guard deeply as he quickly slammed his fist yet again into the restrained man's face.

"Stop it!" Jess heard herself scream.

"You're still going to protect him? After everything? You're still going to side with him?" Max turned his attention to her. "I had to take the drugs to help pay for my brother's mortgage. His wife and kids would have ended up on the streets if it wasn't for me! Then that old man caught me and I swear I told him…I explained everything but he just didn't care! He was going to call the police, I would have gone to jail! Then what would they have done?"

"What do you think is going to happen after all of this?" Jess pointed out weakly. "Do you think they'll just let you go?"

"Do you think I'm completely stupid? They'll never find out it was me! As far as they'll be concerned it was him! The Joker ordered for you to be taken and I killed him trying to save you! I'll be a hero!! Don't you see?"

"And what about Harleen?"

"Oh, Jess, why do you care?"

"Because you coerced her into helping you; she didn't realise what she was getting into,"

"Oh believe me _doctor_, she's not as sweet and innocent as she looks. She hates you! She hates the fact that he couldn't give a damn about her because of you! All she wants to do is remove you from the equation…"

Jess shook her head, "But if you kill him then she'll hate you. Max you can't win. Just let me go. I swear, I wont tell them it was you. I'll even quit my job!"

The Joker cocked his head to the side and hummed quietly to himself. "Yeah, cos that'd do you the _**world**_ of good! Excuse me…um, _Officer Gray?_…what did your brother look like? I mean **before** he was in millions of pieces?"

Jess watched as the only chance she had of reasoning with Max disappeared and his face reddened with anger once again.

"I swear…I'm gonna kill you, you bastard! I'm gonna make you feel pain like you've never felt before!"  
The Joker grinned, "Oh I hope so…"

Suddenly Max turned back to Jess and smiled sickly at her. Taking a small flick-knife from his pocket he started towards her. Jess felt heart jump into her throat as she realise the Joker had finally pushed him over the edge. Glancing quickly towards her patient she felt her lower lip start to quiver uncontrollably as fear quickly took a tight hold of her. His dark eyes never moved from the glinting blade in Max's palm until a slow smile erupted on his face.

"Hello, old friend," the Joker purred causing Max to stop in his tracks and lift the knife to eyelevel.

"I thought attention detail would be the key," he turned to glare at the Joker. "I'm glad you appreciate the effort I went to."

Jess desperately tried to calm down and control her breathing, what was going on? She really didn't understand anything anymore.

The restrained man noted the look of confusion on his doctor's face as he piped up, "The knife…_it's __**miiine**_**.** A very good choice if I do say so. Although, a little small for a direct kill."

"What?" Jess sighed as she felt her eyes start to burn with tears. She could not cry, she wouldn't allow it! He couldn't know just how scared she was, he just couldn't!

Max smiled again and turned back to her. Bending to crouch before her he slowly ran the tip of the blade up the inside of her leg, stopping halfway up her thigh. "You and me could have been good together. God knows I tried to get to know you, but you just didn't want to know did you? You thought you were just too goddamn good for me. Well, let me tell you something sweetheart, you're no better than he is! You're responsible for my colleague bleeding to death in a cell…you're responsible for Ricky's death…and the other kids! All of them, they're all down to you! You shouldn't have brushed me off like you did. You shouldn't have put his rights above everyone else's! But, it's too late now. Now you're going to pay for what I have lost. Now you're going to serve as his punishment. Your little lover-boy is going to watch you bleed to death, just like I watched my friend."

Never taking her eyes away from his Jess silently prayed to God for a miracle as the silver blade neared her face. She felt the slight pressure as he pressed the cold steel against her cheek, drawing her tears along its edge. As he dragged the knife over her skin towards her mouth she felt her chest heave and gave in to her fear as a torrent of tears burst forth from her eyes, wetting her gown.

"Now now, don't cry…it wont make anything any better!" Max shook his head.

"**I wouldn't do it if I were you**," the voice was low and threatening behind the armed man.

"Oh really? And what exactly will happen if I do, Joker?" Max chuckled, slipping the cold blade between Jess' lips and pushing it slowly back towards her ear. "I wonder just how much pain his scars gave him? Don't you?"

Jess' eyes widened as she prepared herself for the point at which the corner of her mouth would give way. Quietly sobbing she closed her eyes and waited.

"I reckon this is really going to hurt!" the sound of Max's matter-of-fact voice was the last thing that she heard before her brain gave in and the darkness took her once again into unconciousness.


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the Batman universe and have no rights to the Joker…etc.

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**A Turn For The Worst**

As her body slumped forward onto the blade the Joker grimaced slightly. Feeling the hair on the back of his neck stand to attention he leaned forward in his restraints, "You know…you're kinda _**rushing**__ things_…Max. If I were you…"

"Shut up!" Max shoved the limp woman back against the wall and forced her head backwards. Pushing the glinting knife further into her gaping mouth he smiled.

"It would be wise if you listened to me," the Joker sneered.

"Or what?" Max spun to face him. "What will you do to me? Huh?"

The Joker licked his lips slowly and cleared his throat dramatically, "Just believe me. You don't want to do that to her. I mean, the whole _killing her to get back at me…_thing…it's **insp**_**ired**_. Pointless but inspired all the same. You see, I don't give a damn whether you kill her or not! But what I _do_ care about is the _way_ you execute her. _That is what you're trying to do right_? _**Execute her**_ to teach me a lesson?" he waited for the crouching man to at least seem interested. "Trust me; your efforts are wasted. What difference does it make to me whether she lives or dies? Hmm? You have seriously underestimated me Officer. There is nothing that you can do to hurt me. Nothing at all. **I don't care about her**. _I don't even care about __**meee**_! You see…I get the distict feeling that you have totally misread the whole situation here…you think I want to _saaave_ her…**you're wrong**…I _want _her to die. I just wanna be the one who er…who makes it happen. And this?" he rolled his eyes. "Well this is all kinda disappointing to me. Especially after the great job you did redecorating Ricky Moffett's cell! I would've thought you would put more effort to the dear doctor's demise! You surprise me Max…I thought you were better than this…"

Max leaned on his knees and pushed himself to his feet, letting Jess slide down the wall, "What do you mean?"

"Erm…well, let's seeee…you go all out on weaving this web of lies and deceit. You stalk her…oh, _didn't you know that I knew_?" the Joker cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. "You even made her believe that it was me!! Now that was a stretch of her imagination but hey…_she fell for it didn't_ _**she**_? Hook, line and _**sinkeeerrr**_. You must be so proud…but then you go and do this…you get hasty and ruin everything you've achieved up to this point!" The restrained man almost surrendered himself to fit of sadistic giggles.

"Go on," Max was intrigued.

"Tell me, honestly…if you had the choice what would you rather do? Slit her from ear to ear and watch her bleed in her sleep…_**OR**_…wait for her to open her eyes and _**beg you to let her go**_? Lure her into a false sense of security and watch her run…all the time knowing that she'll never get away? All the time _**fantasising**_ about how you're going to force the life from her veins…**I know what I'd choose**!"

"You know I'm going to kill you after?" Max frowned, running the Joker's own knife along the length of his fingers. "Why would you suggest how I should kill her?"

"I already told you, I don't care what happens to her. But if you're going to kill someone, the least you can do is make the effort to have some fun…get to savour their last words…their last thoughts as you so mercifully decide to end their misery…You see, what's the use in murder if you can't have fun while you're doing it?!"

The guard stopped in his tracks and thought for a moment in complete silence before turning back to gaze upon his female hostage. Her body hung limply backwards as far as her restraint would allow and her face was turned to the floor. Perhaps the Joker was right. Turning back to the man who killed his brother Max grinned widely, "What do you suggest?"

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"Miss Quinzel? Where are you taking that?" the bearded man motioned to the large cardboard box balanced on her open palms.

"They said that I could borrow it to study," the young intern smiled sweetly. "Was I wrong to take it? Doctor Cunningham said that it would be ok…obviously it was before she disappeared."

Scanning over the name and serial number the man nodded, "Make sure nothing goes missing."

"Of course, Sir," Harleen's smile broadened as she continued along the bright corridor towards the huge padlocked door that led to the old staircase giving access to the redundant original wards. Careful not attract too much attention to her self the bottle-blonde stood with her back to the large doors before dropping the box to the floor and quickly slipping the blackened key into the lock. As the mechanism clicked open she jolted the doors open and kicked the box inside before quickly replacing the lock.

She was quite proud of herself; she had single-handedly managed to gain access to the Joker's belongings and then smuggled it through the hospital and right in to the derelict stairwell. All that was left to do now was to work her way around to the other side of the hospital grounds and sneak into the abandoned wards through the security doors. Although she had gone over the route again and again in her head she was still a little nervous. Max had shown her which keys to use and had explained the route but she was still unsure about the whole thing.

Remembering the way her colleague looked the last time she laid eyes on her, Harleen smiled to herself. There was no chance she would get in the way now. Especially since Max had decided he was going to go teach her a lesson. The intern shook her hair from her eyes and started to hum to herself…after today, she would be able to take him away from here and he would owe her everything.

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Forcing her head forward, Jess tried to sit upright but to no avail. When her muscles refused to cooperate she pulled at the radiator pipe and dragged herself forwards, groaning heavily in the process. Every muscle felt heavy and tight as the warmth of movement slowly spread through them. Releasing her grip on the pipe she lowered her eyes to peer at the thin strip of plastic encircling her wrists, but to her surprise it had gone.

Glancing around the room she rubbed the tender skin around the back of her hands and shuddered as her skin became aware of the cold once again. Suddenly recalling her final waking moments she prodded her face. Nothing. Feeling the relief wash over her she slumped back against the wall and closed her eyes, breathing deeply. In the cold darkness she listened to the noises of the building. Distant clicking and creaking merged with incessant dripping and the slow steady breathing of the Joker.

She opened her eyes and gripped the curved radiator, pulling herself to her feet slowly. Turning to gaze at the gurney she gasped as her eyes fell on the blood stained bed. The Joker lay silently, still restrained, staring at the ceiling. His already scarred face was slick with blood pouring from his nose.

"What the hell happened?" Jess shuffled her numb feet across the tiles and made her way over to her injured patient.

"Nothing," the Joker grumbled. "Hmm, it's just like old times!" he grinned manically, blood smeared across his off-white teeth.

"What are you standing around for? You should be running Jester…_run away_…he's changed the rules…"

"What?"

"I bought you some…_tiime_…make good use of it!" he breathed.

"The doors'll be locked. We wont be able to get out, it's pointless!" Jess frowned.

The Joker's face became rigid with confusion, "_**Weee**_?"

"I'm not leaving without you. You're my patient, I can't leave you…"

"Ha! You really do have your priorities…agh…mixed up…Jes…**ter**! If I were you I'd be gone. I wouldn't try to be a hero…" he groaned quietly.

Jess cast her eyes over him…he was injured. As she visually assessed him his dark eyes slowly rolled back in his head. "No!" she heard herself cry as her fingers went about attempting to unbuckle the thick leather straps crossing his body. Throwing the straps over the edge of the bed she tugged at his shirt, pulling it up towards his head. He had received a serious beating while she had been unconscious and was literally black and blue. As the orange material swept over his chest she saw the thin slash between his ribs. "Shit!" trying to apply as much pressure as she physically could to the flowing wound she quickly scanned the room for anything to bandage it with.

"I told you to go," the Joker spluttered.

"Keep quiet," Jess ordered him, taking his hands from his sides and pressing them onto the wound. "Try to press down."

"Ok," the Joker smiled weakly, his head rolling from one side to the other loosely.

Jess looked down at his hand, assessing how long she had to find something to dress his injury with. Slowly, thick crimson seeped through his fingers and stained his pale skin. "Don't let go! Whatever you do, don't die on me!"

Slowly the young doctor made her way to the doorway. Her body felt as though it was made of lead and every step that she took seemed to increase the weight. Clutching the doorframe she peered down the hallway, into the darkness. Glancing back at the Joker she sighed heavily. She had to be quick. She had to move fast.

"Come on!" she growled to herself. "Come on!"

Feeling her way along the cracked walls she willed her legs to move faster as she cautiously made her way to the next bay. Slipping through the door she strained her eyes to see through the dust and debris. Spotting a supply trolley she rounded the beds and rummaged through the various objects littering its top and drawers. Dismissing the majority of the things she finally found a sealed alcohol wipe, but no bandages. Gripping the wipe tightly she pulled herself along the bedframes towards the corridor and searched the surrounding rooms for any kind of material to use as a bandage. Finally, after deciding she was taking too long she made her way back into the dusty hallway. Forgetting herself she rushed as best she could through the lumps of plaster and broken furniture back towards her patient.

Breathing heavily Jess reached the Joker, opening the alcohol wipe she gently moved his bloody hands from his chest and tentatively wiped the wound. At least she could clean it. Prodding the edges gently she strained her eyes to examine him more closely. As she assessed the depth and seriousness of his injury reality came crashing down around her as she was grabbed firmly by the hair and thrown to the floor.

Turning her head to face her attacker she felt her heart leap into her throat as Max stepped hard on her ankle. "What the fuck do you think you're doing bitch?" he bellowed at her, reaching to take hold of her gown. "Why are you doing this? Why are you trying to save him?"

Jess desperately tried to crawl away from his steel toe-capped boots as they repeatedly collided with her ribs. Pulling herself along the floor she scrambled towards the door only to be dragged back towards him by her bare feet. Feeling the desperation in her gut- not to get away but to save the Joker- she twisted in the guard's grip and managed to kick him hard in the shin. As he stumbled backwards she pulled herself up on the bed frame and started towards the door. She couldn't let him kill her. If she died then so would the Joker. She would have failed him. She had to save him, it was her job.

Stumbling towards the door Jess turned to glare at the Joker as Max flicked the silvery blade from its case and held it under the injured man's chin.

"No!"

"No?" Max glowered. "Give me one good reason why!!"

Jess panicked. What could she possibly do to help him? Staring at the Joker she considered giving up. As the thought crossed her mind the woozy man lifted his head slightly and winked hard. Confused Jess tilted her head to the side. The injured man smiled faintly and mouthed the words, "Get out!"

Shaking her head Jess stumbled towards the door, feeling for the crumbling walls to steady her. Once she reached the corridor she felt the adrenalin surge through her veins as Max advanced on her quickly. It was as though her body was not hers. Her muscles were numb and she seemed to have the means to run. No sooner had she thought of making a dash for it than her feet began to pound the dirty tiles.

As she tore through the abandoned ward Jess could hear the sound of Max's boots echoing throughout the empty rooms. Making her way to the fire exit she burst through the doors and started down the uneven steps.

"YOU CAN'T GET OUT JESS!!" the voice boomed through the building and Jess felt like crying. She knew it was true. She was not going to be able to escape.

Reaching the door at the base of the stairs she shook the handles violently, willing the chain on the other side to somehow break and set her free from all of this. Suddenly she heard the familiar clomp of security boots on the tiles behind her. Turning to look she saw Max kicking a large cardboard box towards her. As she struggled to make out the writing on the label Max cross the small space between them and slammed her head against the wall.

"Aggghh!" Jess growled as her skin gave way and a torrent of blood cascaded over her forehead and into her eyes.

Pulling her across the floor Max dragged her violently back up the staircase to the floor below the Joker. Slamming her against a wall he placed his hand over her mouth and pushed her to the floor. Jess squirmed in his grip, managing to deliver one hell of a blow to his manhood, literally. As the man recoiled in pain Jess saw her chance and made a break for it. Forcing herself to run she darted through the side bays and desperately tried to keep a fair distance between herself and her captor. Just when she thought her legs and lungs couldn't take any more abuse she somehow found the energy to scramble into the toilets. Where else could she go? She didn't know what to do. She had to get back upstairs, back to the Joker.

As she desperately tried to plan her route back to him she heard the door slam into the wall. Picking her feet up from the floor she perched on the broken toilet seat and held her breath. Suddenly the cubicle door burst towards her as Max kicked it off of its hinges. Jess froze. As his fist crashed into her cheek her foot slipped and she fell from her perch. Max used her mistake to his advantage and grabbed her hair once more, forcing her face into the dirty toilet bowl.

Scrambling about her with outstretched fingers the young doctor tried to defend herself only to be punched into submission as Max held her face in the water. The pressure in her nose did little stop the water from invading her nostrils and the pulling in her chest caused her to involuntarily inhale. As she felt herself begin to cough and splutter she attempted to wriggle free.

Max finally dragged Jess from the toilets and punched her hard in the stomach causing her to double over in pain. Winded the young woman fell to the floor and tried to crawl away. Max simply followed her slowly, knowing damn well that the Joker had been right…this was far more fun than slitting her throat while she was 'sleeping'!

"Go on…Jess…run! Go on, run little rabbit, run!" Max sneered. "Go!"

Jess didn't need to be told twice. Scrambling to her feet she immediately stumbled through the building debris, slipping as she pounded her way through the unfamiliar corridors. A door! An open door. Jess ran as fast as her weary legs would carry her to the door at the other end of the hallway, not stopping or slowing down to open it fully. As she tore through into another stairwell she suddenly got the feeling she wasn't alone. Spinning around to check behind her, her heart froze as the slim bottle-blonde woman swung a short-handled sledge hammer towards her head!


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Joker, Harleen Quinzel (Harley Quinn), or Arkham Asylum.

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**A Dog and a Rat**

"Aaarrrgghh!!" Harleen growled as she swung the heavy hammer at Jess' head. The force of the swing pulled her forward as the weapon narrowly missed her target's head and collided with the wall to her left.

Jess dodged the sudden attack and slammed her back against the wall, ducking as the hammer slid down the plaster beside her. Pushing Harleen backwards she tried to turn back to the door, only to be greeted by Max. Stopping dead in her tracks her feet slid across the cold tiles and the base of her spine slammed into the floor. As her shoulders followed suit she grabbed her head protectively, expecting Harleen to take another swing.

"No!" Max grabbed the hammer as it came down over her and threw it to the floor. "Help me…we need to get her back upstairs."

Harleen rolled her eyes and reluctantly reached down to take hold of Jess' shoulders. "You told me that you were going to get rid of her, I just panicked. I didn't expect her to come running through at me…I'm sorry Max, I didn't mean to…"

"I don't care Sweety, don't worry about it. I would have let you do it but we need her just a little longer. She's stabbed him,"

"What?" Harleen squealed, turning her attention to the squirming woman. "You stabbed the Joker? Why?"  
"He's lying!" Jess coughed. "It wasn't me!"  
"Why would she say you're lying?" Harleen tilted her head slightly and frowned, still dragging Jess to her feet.

"She doesn't want to die, Harleen. She stabbed to get at you…she knows you want him!"

"Please…Harleen! Please! He stabbed him, not me!"

Harleen looked into her eyes, then turned to glare at Max before slamming her fist into Jess ribs, "Shut up!"

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"Heheha, hahahahehu…" the Joker giggled quietly to himself, tightly pressing his palms against his wounded side. Slowly inching his way to the edge of the gurney he slid his legs over the side and attempted to push himself onto the floor. "Ahhhh ahaha," the bleeding man sighed heavily as the dull pain spread through his abdomen and he set his sights on the door.

Peering down at his bloody hands he walked slowly out into the hallway and glanced to both ends of the dusty corridor before deciding to turn left. To be honest he wasn't sure where or why he was going but he did know what he was doing. Hearing a commotion behind him he turned slightly to peer over his own shoulder and grinned widely. He'd caught her and apparently Jess had found the lapdog.

------

"Go get the stuff," Max turned to Harleen and nodded to the door fire exit. "We'll need it if you're going to take him tonight. Ok?"

Harleen nodded and released her grip on Jess' shoulder before almost skipping towards the large doors and disappearing down the stairwell to retrieve the box she had left there earlier. Max pulled Jess towards him before forcing her back down the dark corridor towards the Joker's room.

"You thought you'd got the better of me, didn't you? Huh? Well, guess what Jess…you didn't! Did you think that she would believe you? Just wait till she sees him…then she's really gonna hate you!"

"I didn't do it…she'll find out…somehow! You wont get away with it Max…he'll kill you!"

"Uhuh…whatever. He's probably already bled to death…what's the matter? Were you hoping he would save you?" Max pushed her through the doorway and shoved her to the floor, hard. "Where the hell is he?...**JOKER!!!!**"

Jess lay sprawled across the dirty tiles staring up at the empty gurney. Where was he? She glanced around the room, quickly spotting the dark crimson spots littered across the tiles in front of her. Shuffling her knees up underneath her chest she made her way slowly to the far corner and slumped against the wall. The soles of her feet were stinging from the constant pounding on the debris ridden floor and her lungs burned from the intense burst of exercise.

What was she going to do? How was she going stay alive now? She didn't know what to do. The Joker was gone and she was alone again with Max. She had no-one.

She sat against the wall watching as Max tore around the room throwing various objects at the bare walls before storming out into the hospital to find his missing hostage. Jess knew the Joker wouldn't have gone far, so why was Max so desperate to find him? Why was he so obsessed with the man?

She thought back to when she had first started working at the asylum, when she had first met the two men. The Joker had been almost catatonic due to being over medicated and was quite honestly lucky to be alive. Max, well he had been pretty cocky the first time she met him. They hadn't really got off on the right foot at all. Was that what he had meant when he said that they could have been good together? But the Joker had insisted that Max had killed Dr Brightside, and Max had damn as near as admitted it to her earlier. So why would he hav ethought that they would have been good together? She didn't understand. Did he think she had been sent as some kind of saviour for him? Had he seen her as a reason to stop the killing? He had managed to frame an innocent man for the murder and then, Jess supposed, killed him too to cover up the truth. The Joker was right; Max was intimidated by her. He had panicked when she started asking questions about the Joker's medication, he had disagreed with her when she ordered the medication to be stopped completely and then Ricky Moffett was killed. He had been there too, when she left the cell he was there, throwing in his two cents. Again, when the Joker killed the guard he was there…throwing his weight around. The Joker was tight all along, he was right about everything. She should have listened to him, she should have believed him…trusted him.

Suddenly Max marched back into the room and grabbed her by the throat, dragging her to her feet and thrusting her onto the empty bed. A few strides behind him Harleen entered the room carrying the cardboard box Max had kicked at the base of the stairwell.

"Get me the tape!" the manic man demanded. Harleen rummaged around for a second or two before handing Max a thick roll of tough, silverish industrial tape. Pulling at the loose end he quickly placed a strip across Jess' mouth. Trying to stop him she pulled away resulting in a hard punch to the head. Falling to the mattress she heard the harsh sound of the tape being pulled again before feeling it being wound around her head head.

Suddenly she began to panic. Trying to scream to Harleen to help her she stared with wide eyes at the woman beside the doorway. The intern was gently removing every item from the brown box and neatly placing it on the worktop. She glanced back over her shoulder at the struggling woman before setting her hammer down beside her.

"What are you ah, what are you doing?" the voice came like music to Jess' ears as her eyes flicked towards the doorway to see the Joker leaning against the frame. "Oh…I see you brought my things…how kind."

Harleen rocked her hips from side to side slightly smiling coyly at the bloody man before handing him his own shirt. The scarred man stood for a second staring at the familiar purple and white fabric before turning his attention back to Max.

"Teaching her to do as she's told!" the guard growled as the tape made another journey around her jaw.

"No, no, no…you're doing this _all_ _wrong_. Didn't I tell you to let her ru**n**?" the Joker clicked his tongue loudly before taking the shirt from Harleen and removing the standard orange one over his head.

"Yeah, well your plan wasn't working!" Max bellowed.

Jess eyes widened as she hummed the words "Your plan?" into the tape. What the hell was going on? She stared at the Joker with tears in her eyes, were they working together now? She didn't understand.

"It wasn't working because you were impatient. You want to make me feel pain…well I'm telling you now, it's not going to work, I'm immune to grief. So killing her will be about as effective as killing me. You wont get a kick out of it cos I don't care if she dies…_I already told you __**that**__! You want to make me pay for your brother…._nothing you can do to me will ever be enough, Officer. After me there'll be more. So all in all, I've already won!"

"Won? There's nothing to win Joker!" Max pulled the tape around Jess' head again, this time pulling it over her nose. Now she couldn't breathe.

Trying to calm herself down the suffocating woman stopped struggling.

"You know," the Joker started, taking the make up from the box and haphazardly applying it to his dirty face. Jess watched as Harleen passed him first black then red paints which he smeared across his skin. "Somebody once told me that a _little trust_ can go a long way…"

"I don't trust anyone Joker! I'm the only one going to walk out of here and no matter of bullshit is going to change that!"

Harleen turned quickly with a sudden shock of fear apparent in her eyes. Her lips said nothing but her eyes spoke volumes. She had finally realised that she was in the same situation as Jess and suddenly regretting her role in the whole thing. The bottle blonde turned to gaze sullenly at the doctor. The Joker touched her arm and nodded to the worktop.

"You're far too hasty! You don't really appear to be taking much notice of the tiny emotions seeping through your victim's face Max…_you're missing out on an awful lot there._ I mean, look at her…_**really**_ look at her, into her **eyes**. Watch how as her lungs beg for air she breaks her own heart by admitting that she's going to die. Isn't it beautiful? You know, people tell you a lot their final moments, and you should pay attention. It's important! You see….ah, you never really know what's going to happen," the painted man slowly made his way along the counter sliding his fingers over the various weapons Harleen had placed there. Finally he came to her hammer. Tilting his head to the side he eyed the blunt instrument questioningly before turning quickly to face Max and a slowly fading Jess. "When you killed the boy…how did he react? Did he give in when you cornered him?"

"Huh?" Max tore the tape and threw the roll at the wall before dragging Jess to her feet the slamming her against the wall. As he eyes fluttered open and closed the Joker picked up the heavy tool and slowly rounded the bed, tossing the heavy end from hand to hand lightly.

Placing the hammer on the bed he turned to Harleen and motioned for her to leave. "Or did he fight back?" he eyed the back of Max's head before flicking his eyes up to stare directly into Jess'. "Like a cornered **rat**?"

Jess' head was pounding and her chest felt as though it was going to explode. She could barely stand but something deep inside her clicked at the Joker's words. Without even thinking she slammed her knee into Max's groin and fumbled for the hammer. As the guard stumbled backwards the Joker moved away holding his arms in the air as though he was being crucified. There it was! With every ounce of strength left in her muscles Jess swung the mallet, hitting the stumbling man in the shoulder. He wasn't expecting the blow and promptly fell to the floor. Forcing her eyes open Jess swung the hammer again, this time aiming directly for his skull. She wanted him dead!

That was when it happened. That was when she felt the resistance in her swing as the Joker gripped her arm forcefully. "You really don't wanna do that," he purred, taking the weapon from her. As soon as her fingers released the wooden handle her knees gave way and her body started to cry out for oxygen once more. She couldn't hold her breath any longer, she had to breathe! Slumped beside Max Jess instinctively crawled away as the hammer came down on Max's chest. Again and again the Joker slammed the heavy tool into the man's body, laughing wildly as he did so. Max only tried to defend himself from a couple of the blows before his body went limp on the floor, but still the Joker kept hitting him. He was brutal, and for the first time he truly scared her.

Once he was satisfied with the amount of blood oozing from the guard's body he stood upright and turned to face Jess. Taking a couple of steps towards her he tossed the hammer over the bed. Tilting his head to the side the Joker gazed at his doctor. She was terrified of him and he could tell. Now he had an option. He had to make a decision. She was suffocating and he was free. Turning to look at the array of knives lain out on the worktop he hummed to himself. Which should he use?

"Hmm," he turned to the lifeless body beside him and crouched to remove his 'old friend' from the guard's pocket. "I'm sorry, _**Jester**_. _Really I am_…but all good things _must_ come to an _**end**_!"


	28. The Final Chapter!

Disclaimer: I have no rights to the Joker, Harleen Quinzel or Arkham Asylum. I do however own Jess!! *grins*

Not to upset you all but this is the final chapter!

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**The Bitter End**

Slumped against the flaking wall Jess clawed desperately at the silver tape wrapped around her head. With every torturous second that passed she could feel her chest heaving, attempting to take another breath but to no avail. Swallowing hard she tried not to panic as the unnerving slash of red on white approached her.

"Hmmm!" the suffocating woman whined as the Joker crouched in front of her, lifting his knife to her face. Shaking her head she tried to pull away from him slowly. Her head was fuzzy and she could feel the coldness of death slowly creeping over her. As tears filled her eyes she could feel herself beginning to shake. Gradually the edges of her vision darkened and she could see the darkness swallowing the room. She was dying.

The Joker tilted his head to the side and ran his the edge of his blade over her throat, licking his scarred lips slowly and narrowing his eyes. This was just what he had been waiting for. This was the moment where he himself had to make the decision whether or not to kill her. Trailing the knife over her jugular he moved his face closer to hers. He watched as her blue eyes rolled back in her skull and she began to pass out. She had done well; he'd give her credit for that. She certainly had a hunger to survive.

Running his course fingers through her hair he pulled her head back and held her still, "Now…um, _you're __**really**__ gonna have to tru__**st **__**meee**_."

Swallowing hard, Jess made a final attempt to pull away from the blood-splattered man as he pressed the edge of his knife against her face.

"I'd advise you to stay still," he gripped her hair tightly. "Hey…HEY!"

Jess felt the back of her skull collide with the wall as the Joker forced her head against it firmly. Wide eyes stared pleadingly at the harsh white features before her as she felt her heart leap into her throat. Her whole body seemed to be beating in time with her slowing heart as her body gradually gave in to the darkness.

Feeling her body begin to slump before him the Joker growled slightly. Frowning he ran his thumb over the thick silver tape, feeling for her mouth. Mentally mapping the rose-bud pout beneath the tough covering he decided he had wasted enough time…it was now or never. Pressing the point of his flick-knife against the tape he gave a short, sharp push forcing the blade between her lips into her mouth. Pulling her head back he grimaced as he slowly slid the weapon to the left, making the slit in the tape longer. Trying to estimate where her mouth ended the Joker gritted his teeth and started to slice the tape in the other direction, stopping when he felt the tough resistance of Jess' cheek. Slowly her pretty blue eyes flickered open as her cells welcomed the much needed oxygen. Staring lazily at the white face in front of her she felt utter relief wash over her in waves. The adrenalin stopped and suddenly she was so cold, so very, very cold. Holding the knife at the corner of her mouth for a moment the Joker smiled to himself, almost daring himself to pull it that little bit further; give her something to remember him by! As he stared at her pale face he felt the familiar twist of 'something' in his gut. Tilting his head to the side slightly he leaned closer to her and…

Suddenly the resistance in the doctor's facial muscles gave way and the double edged blade sliced through her cheek, splitting her face in two. As the thick crimson tears spilled through the silver tape and over his fingers the Joker felt the hot sting of hate burst through his awareness as his dark eyes stared at the bloody hand gripping his sleeve, pulling his arm ever more to the right.

"GrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRR!!!!" the sound was raw and animalistic as the Joker slammed the half-dead security guard against the gurney. As the trolley rolled back against the counter the Joker hoisted Max up onto the leather-bound top and punched him hard in the face. Forcing his 'old friend' into the struggling man's mouth he flicked his wrist, slicing his face. Max instinctively tried to grab his abused cheek only to be stabbed in the arm. "I don't **THINK** SO!!" the Joker growled viscerally, twisting the small knife earning a groan from the unfortunate man.

As the blood pooled in his mouth Max spat the hot liquid at the painted man. The Joker simply smiled back at his victim; it wasn't often that he murdered someone because they got him angry and the Joker was going to enjoy this…every little bit of it! Reaching over the guard's head to the array of weapons on the work surface he grabbed a particularly large, wooden handled knife and quickly buried it to the hilt in Max's abdomen. As Officer Gray screamed the smaller knife plunged into his throat, slicing his vocal chords, rendering him almost silent. The Joker retracted his bloody hand and forced the double edged knife through Max's other cheek. Lifting the man from the bed he dragged him over to the howling woman and slammed him against the wall, plucking the wooden-handled knife from his gut and re-embedding it in his chest. A thick fountain of blood sliced through the dusty air, painting the ceiling with dark slashes of red.

Wiping Max's blood from his face the Joker let the man's body fall to the floor. Breathing deeply he clicked his 'old friend' back into its case and turned to Jess. Kneeling face to face with her he tried to examine the gaping wound in her face through her trembling fingers.

"Shh sh shsh sh sh," he slowly pulled her bloody hands away from her face and gently pushed her head backwards. Running his fingers over the open wound he grimaced and ran his tongue over the inside of his own scars. "Look at me."

Jess turned away, the pain burning through her facial nerves, down her neck into her skull. Fighting his firm hands she tried to cover her bleeding mouth, only for the Joker to force her arms back to her thighs and grip her head even tighter –forcing her to turn her face towards him.

"Look at me…_Je__**steeer**_? Look…Lo…**LOOK AT ME**!" he bellowed, rendering the quaking woman paralysed. Gripping her cheeks he sucked his lips loudly and turned towards the door, "Hey _**Sweetheart**_**,** _do you think you might come and give a little __**help**_?"

Harleen rounded the doorframe slowly. Peering around the blood sodden room the bottle-blonde tiptoed over the crimson-streaked tiles, "Yeah?"

"_You __**did**__ say you were going to get me out of here didn't you_?" The Joker licked the corners of his mouth and turned back to Jess. "Get my things."

The young intern quickly turned to the various knives and bundled them into the box before lifting the whole lot to her chest. "Do you want me to take them to the car?" she chirped.

"Car?" the Joker slowly frowned. "_**You**_ have a car?"

Harleen stopped in her tracks and smiled, "_He _does...well, _did_."

The Joker grinned. Leaning towards Jess he tilted his head slightly and ran his fingers over her hair, "I'd love to stay but…ah, I gotta go Jester."

Jess peered over his shoulder at the standing woman. Shivering she attempted to pull her feet up under her body to stand up. "Jo…"

"Sh sh sh sh sh," he peered over his shoulder. "Do you have my coat?"

Harleen dragged a large purple swathe of material out of the box from beneath the knives, causing them to clink against one another. Beginning to drape the long coat over the gurney she glanced at Jess' gaping cheek. As Jess' eyes met hers she quickly turned away and stared at the floor, "I need the keys."

"_Keeeeys_?" the Joker rolled his eyes.

"To Max's car. I need them to get in…"

"Well, I suppose they'll be in his pocket now wont they?" the sarcasm cut through Harleen as deftly as the knife had cut through Max's flesh and the Joker knew it. Waiting for the delayed sound of the young woman's feet making their way across the tiles towards the guard's corpse he stared at Jess, smiling smugly. Jess stared back at him, he was a truly cruel man…but he had saved her. Why?

"You…" Jess started, only to feel the Joker's bloody finger pressed against her lips as pain seared through her face. Shaking her head away she continued, "You wont get past the gates in his car."

"Well, there's no other way out," Harleen quipped.

"Hmm…she does have a point," the Joker purred after a moment.

"What are we supposed to do? He said that he would…"

"Yeah…I don't think that ah…you should really worry about anything that er…_**heee**_…said," the Joker glanced around himself quickly, frowning. "Where ah…where's my coat?"

No sooner had he asked the question than the coat was in his hand.

"The van," Jess breathed, clutching her face trying to stop the bleeding.

"_Va__**an**_?" eyebrows raised the Joker licked his lips provocatively.

Jess panted, trying to control the pain in her facial muscles and teeth, "The one they bring the patients in. It's kept in the back of the hospital. Argh!"

As she lurched forward the Joker wrapped his coat around her shoulders, "Sort it!"

Harleen nodded and rushed out of the open doorway, her footsteps echoing down the hallway.

"Jester…look at me," the Joker ordered quietly. "This whole…thing? I ah…I didn't…"

Her eyes watched as his blood-smeared made-up face shook slowly from side to side. His blackened eyes seemed different to her. He seemed…sad?

"I know," she whimpered.

Nodding, he rose to his feet and firmly pulled her up to him. "You're weak," he whispered as her knees gave way again and she fell into his arms. He peered down at the fading woman, at the constant seeping blood then at the dead guard. Pulling his coat tight around her he lifted her to her feet once again. Clearing his throat he breathed into her lank, bloody hair, "_Walk_."

------

"Hey there!"

"Huh?" the guard spun around his chair. "Hey, are you lost Miss?"

"Me? No, I work here. I'm Harleen…aren't you um," she glanced at his name-badge quickly, "Tommy?"

"Uh, yeah?" the portly man smiled nervously.

"Oh I'm so glad it's you," Harleen wiggled her hips slowly and smiled. "I hope you don't think I'm being too forward…I just, he I don't know what I'm doing here. I'm sorry, I just….I get so shy when I'm anywhere near you."

"Shy?" the guard stood up and approached the giggling woman. "You don't need to be shy honey."

Shrugging her shoulders sweetly the woman continued, "I was wondering if maybe…well, you're gonna think this is a really strange request…"

Tommy smiled, "No I wont."

"Is that your van?"

"Yeah," he looked back at the black and white armoured truck.

Harleen giggled, "Do you ever just drive around in it…you know, to impress women?"  
"Impress women? Why would it…?"  
"You're a guard at Arkham Asylum. Girls love a man with authority…"

"Oh…ah, I never…."

"I'd love to see how it all works, would you show me? _Tommy_?"

"I really…I shouldn't," he shook his head.

"Not even if I say please?" Harleen took a step towards him.

Glancing around the guard rolled his eyes and smiled, "I…"  
"_Pleeeeeaaaaase_?" Harleen batted her eyelids and stroked her neck with her fingertips.

"Okay, just give me a moment to radio through to Max,"

"Max?" she panicked.

"Yeah, he's in charge tonight….and he's a real…"  
"If you're going to get into trouble over it why tell him? I wont tell if you don't, Tommy," Harleen caught sight of the Joker and Jess slowly making their way across the courtyard to the back of the van, and quickly kissed the guard on his lips. As soon as the two of them were safely inside the van the intern pulled away and smiled. "So?"

Sighing, the guard bit his lower lip before turning to grab the keys and smile back at his 'admirer'. "Ok, but only a quick drive. Max'll kill me if he finds out."

"Oh trust me he wont,"

------

Once through the gates Harleen turned to smile at Tommy, "You're such a good driver. I haven't passed my test yet."

"Really? Do you wanna learn? I can teach you if you want," the guard nodded at the controls in front of him.

"Really? You'd show me how to drive this thing?"

"Yeah, come here," he reached over to her and smiled.

"Wouldn't it be safer to stop?" Harleen smiled.

"Yeah, you're right. Just wait till I find somewhere to pull over,"

------

Harleen stepped down from the van and quickly made her way around the back of the van. Just before she could round the far corner of the vehicle Tommy walked to meet her. "Have you ever seen in the back of one of these?" he slapped the side of the van hard.

"No," Harleen smiled, knowing that the Joker was sat waiting inside.

She watched as Tommy yanked the large, flat handle upwards thus unlocking the rear doors. No sooner had the lock clicked open than the heavy doors sprung forth knocking the tubby man off of his feet. As he glared up at the open van his face filled with utter terror as he was greeted with the sight of a bloodstained Joker leaping on top of him, knife in hand. Turning to glance at the pretty girl who had duped him into transporting the Joker out of Arkham his heart sank as the blade flicked around his throat, severing his arteries and veins.

He thought she liked him.

------

"Stay here," the Joker mumbled as he jumped down from the vehicle onto the wet tarmac. Looking up at the stars he grinned. He was finally out. Finally able to haunt the Batman once more…how he had missed his favourite pastime. But for now he had other things on his mind. Striding around the black and white van he forcefully unlocked the heavy doors before stepping up onto the small metal step to pull his doctor out.

As her limp body slid across the floor he gazed at her ashen face. She was, again, unconscious. He carefully pulled her towards the edge of the van and tilted his head to the side. She was so pale she almost looked like she was made of stone…or plaster. Lifting her into his arms he glanced across the parking lot at the bright automatic doors of the newly built Gotham General Hospital. Taking her weight in his arms he straightened his back and started on he fairly long walk to the main entrance. Glancing back at Harleen he nodded towards the hospital and waited for the van to make its way around the parking lot. If he was going to risk walking into the hospital he had once blown up he was going to need a good get away.

Turning his attention back to the woman draped over his forearms he smiled. He had been right about her. As he watched the gentle rise and fall of the dirty robe beneath his coat he confirmed it in his mind. She was strong, and she was still alive. Barely, but never-the-less still alive. From the second he had met her she had believed in him. She had trusted him. The least he could do was save her, wasn't it? He nodded silently to himself as the image of her suffocating flashed into his mind. He could have left her to die. He could have left her in Arkham. She was no concern of his. Even though he told himself it didn't matter, the visceral gash in her face bothered him. Even now, although he was dead Max had ultimately beaten him. He had changed her. He had done what the Joker had threatened him not to do. He had broken her.

Striding confidently across the tarmac the fugitive man closed his eyes momentarily to fully appreciate the cool breeze on his face. He was cold but it didn't matter. He glanced back at Jess, his Jester. She was beautiful, it was a true and he couldn't deny it. There was something about the woman he was carrying him that seemed to twist a blade of its very own inside of him. He still wasn't sure what exactly it was but for the moment he figured it didn't matter. She would soon be taken away from him and he would have to feign interest in the lapdog once again. How he disliked the girl. It was no fault of her own, he supposed she was a nice person after all she had managed to secure his ride out of the asylum. It was the sickly 'children's TV' approach that she had to everything that bothered him. She was just too intense, to emotional. Then again, who was he to complain? She was the first woman to actually take a liking to him, and he was no about to bury her just yet. No, he was sure that he could find some use for her.

Jester. Now she was a woman to be reckoned with. A woman who never once admitted there was something between them. Was there something between them? He didn't know. Perhaps his need to escape had pulled the wool over his eyes? Perhaps he had convinced himself the woman had been interested? Interesting, yes. But interested? Highly doubtful. She was a doctor and a damn good one at that. She had only ever done what she believed was right, and when she hadn't done what was right he had stopped her. He hadn't wanted her to step over the edge. He didn't want another Harvey Dent. No. She was too important. She was just perfect the way she was. The way she had been…

Again his eyes trailed over the bloody wound spanning the left side of her face from her mouth to her jawbone. He knew how much pain the blade had inflicted on her and for the first time since he didn't know when it actually upset him. Swallowing hard he pulled her torso towards his chest and noted the thousands of tiny bumps covering her neck and face. She was cold. He couldn't fasten the coat around her but he felt bad that he hadn't thought it decent to do so before he pulled her from the van.

Mentally scolding himself the Joker laughed away the concern over her well being. It meant nothing, he was simply repaying her the kindness she had shown him. He would have another opportunity to end her life…just not this one. He was sure he would know when the time came. When they met again. He was sure they would meet again.

Slowly placing her on the sidewalk a little way from the entrance he stooped to pull the edges of his infamous purple coat around her abused body. Gazing at her face one last time he lowered his head and ran his fingers through her hair. Moving his lips to her ear he lowered his voice to barely a whisper.

"Don't become like me," pulling away he turned his face towards her, allowing his own scarred lips to ghost across the gaping slit in her face. Pausing for a moment he looked at her blank face. Time seemed to stand still as he felt each shallow breath on his mouth. She was so close. But yet, he didn't know what to do. The space between them was so small that he could almost feel her lips against his…

"Isn't that the Joker?"

The moment was gone and he sprung to his feet grinning wildly at the young paramedic.

"Oh my God!! Somebody call the Police!! It's the Joker! It's the Joker!"

As if his lap dog had read his mind, the van screeched to the curb and he jumped into the passenger seat, slamming the door and glancing in the large wing mirror at his Jester. His guardian angel.

"Till next time, _Je__**ster**_," he licked his lips quickly and turned to Harleen. "Drive faster!"

The woman did as she was ordered, pretending not to notice the way his fingers came up to almost touch his lips. Pretending not to know that he had wanted her.

**------**

**To be continued…**

**Drowning Pool**


End file.
